7) Beyond the Tales
by IlaGolden
Summary: This is the seventh book in the Tales Saga. The Tales Saga is an alternate version of Yu-Gi-Oh which rewrites the story from the end of Battle City onwards. Crovell's gone missing and its time to play the game of a lifetime. But just who's game is it anyway?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Almost as soon as the credits began to roll, Tristan reached over and clicked on the lamp next to him. His eyes then drifted towards the clock on the opposite wall, but his mind failed to make sense of the nonsensical lines and numbers. For half a second he gritted his teeth in frustration; he'd really thought the distraction technique would work this time. Although, if he were being truly honest with himself, the film hadn't been much of a distraction; his mind had still continued to circle the conversation he and Dr Charm had had during his latest session.

'What time is it?' Tristan sighed as he tried once again to suppress all thoughts.

'Nu-uh,' Mokuba shook his head, 'no way, if you don't know how late it is, you won't say no to another movie. We've still got one left to watch.'

'I see,' Tristan smirked and folded his arms, 'so I'm guessing it's after nine then.'

'I don't know what you mean.'

'After ten,' he rolled his eyes. 'I might not know what that,' he pointed towards the clock, 'says, but I do know you lus braysta.'

'Whatever,' Mokuba shrugged, 'so do you want to watch another one, or not?'

'No way, Seto will kill me if I let you stay up late _again_.'

'Not if you play the memory card he won't. I mean, you don't actually know how late it is, right? So you don't actually _know_ if you are keeping me up.'

'Yes, but I have a pretty good idea that I am,' Tristan narrowed his gaze on him, 'and I'm not lying to your brother Mokuba.'

'Why not?'

'Do I really need to remind you we're both telepaths? Do you really think he wouldn't use it as a lie detector?'

'Yeah, but I also know you know how to block or deflect his thoughts,' Mokuba smirked. 'Come on, please, I mean, it's only a couple of hours long and we won't have time tomorrow.'

'You should have thought of that before renting three films.'

'Well you were the one who insisted we rented movies in the first place,' Mokuba folded his arms stubbornly, 'did you forget I have one of the best DVD collections in Domino City or something?'

'I...' Tristan hesitated, before shifting uncomfortably.

'You had forgotten, hadn't you? And you've been acting all weird and absent minded since your session today,' he frowned, 'are you okay?'

'Oh no lus braysta, I see what you're doing here,' Tristan forced a mock-serious expression onto his face as he tried to steer the conversation away from his session with Dr Charm. 'You're trying to talk me into letting you stay up one way or another, but we both know how important a regular bedtime is for you right now.'

'I... I know, but...' Mokuba hesitated and shifted uncomfortably, 'I... I don't want to go to bed yet. I... I sleep better when I'm too tired to dream. Please.'

'Fine,' Tristan sighed and rolled his eyes, 'I guess your brother wouldn't like it if you woke up screaming again either. So which one do we have left anyway?'

'The French detective story, with the subtitles, I think.'

Tristan felt the colour drain from his face. His hands edgily screwed up the bottom of his sleeves as he tugged them down as far as they would go.

'You never said one was subtitled Mokuba.'

'Yeah I did,' Mokuba gave a light half laugh, 'either you were too distracted to pay attention or your memory's just getting worse.'

'Don't say that,' Tristan squirmed like a kid being asked to face his worst nightmare. 'Don't use my memory problems as an excuse for everything. You never said one was subtitled.'

'I did tell you,' Mokuba stared at him, 'Tristan are you okay?'

'I can't...' now it was his turn to hesitate, 'I don't want to watch a subtitled film. Not today.'

For a few long moments there was silence.

'I'm sorry, I didn't realise. Maybe... maybe I should just go to bed.'

'Do you... do you need me to come up with you?'

Mokuba hesitated again, before he awkwardly forced a smile onto his face.

'I'll be okay Tristan, I... I can do this on my own.'

* * *

_It started the same way it always did. He was stood under the shade of a tall oak tree, staring out across a calm blue ocean. Tristan was sat at his feet staring lazily up into the exquisitely clear sky, in a good mood because he could remember everything for once. The conversation they were having was calm and relaxed, although he'd have been hard pushed to say what it was actually about. It didn't really matter anyway. The sun was warm. The air was peaceful and still. They were happy. He was happy and if things could just stay like this, trapped in this single moment in time, then everything would be just perfect._

_ Unfortunately for him, no matter how much he wanted the dream to stay in this moment, the calm was always destined to be broken._

_ 'Seto!'_

_ As Tristan's voice cut through the air, the skyline darkened, the sea began to churn violently and a strong wind began to gust around them. Tristan's happy expression had twisted into fear and his eyes were slowly taking on a dull and vacant look, like his soul was being drained out alongside his memories. _

_ 'Help me,' the words quietly trembled out of Tristan, 'please help me.'_

_ But there was nothing he could do but watch. He couldn't help him. He couldn't stop it from happening. All he could do was stand there and let it happen. He was powerless to do anything and that scared him._

_ Just like it always did at this point, the scene changed and he found himself stood in a street packed full of people streaming past him on all sides. He didn't know who these people were, where they'd come from or where they were going. All he knew is they were moving in the opposite direction to him, trying to push him back and keep him away from whatever it was he was so desperately trying to get to._

_ 'Seto!'_

_ The cry reached his ears increasing his need to fight through the crowd. But no matter how hard he pushed against them, they were always stronger than he was. They were always more determined to push him back. His whole being filled with panic; he knew what it was he was fighting to get to now. Tristan needed him. He had to get to Tristan because he needed him. Why wouldn't these people let him past? Why were they trying to keep him away?_

_ Before he could dwell too much on either of these questions, the scene changed again. This time he was stood in a large ballroom, with a grand staircase at one end. The room was dimly lit and filled with a small group of faceless people, each one holding a duel monsters card in their hands. They were talking loudly, but nothing they said made any sense. He found himself drifting from person to person, trying to make some sense of what was going on. As he did he noticed he too was holding a card. The second he saw what it was a spike of uncertain fear peaked through his stomach; it was the Blue Eyes Knight. _

_ He didn't know how he could be so sure, but he knew in that moment everyone around him was holding their soul cards. Their loud talking, as unintelligible as it still was, sounded sociable and relaxed; as if they didn't realise the danger they were in. And they were in danger; all of them. Because their soul cards were a piece of them and if they were damaged in any way..._

_ A movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn his attention towards the staircase. Someone was walking down it, with a look of anxiety and confusion strewn across his face._

_ 'Tristan,' without hesitation he found himself moving towards the staircase, 'Tristan are you alright?'_

_ This was it, the most painful moment in the whole dream. No matter how many times he experienced it, it didn't get any more bearable. It was that look in Tristan's eyes; the one which registered no recognition for who he was. Because everything that had once been Tristan was gone and it was all his fault._

_ 'Tristan...' his voice was small and choked, 'please... please don't be gone... please... I promise I'll find a way to fix you, just please come back to me... please...'_

_ It was at this point Tristan's expression filled with anger, just like it always did. He snatched the Blue Eye Knight out of his hands and, before Kaiba could even think to react, Tristan tore the card in two._

* * *

Gasping loudly, Kaiba's whole body shot up into a sitting position. For a few moments he just rigidly sat there, before forcing himself to stare down at his own trembling hands. He'd first started getting this nightmare on and off during Mokuba's trauma induced psychosis. He thought it was just due to the high amount of stress he was under and that it would go away once everything had calmed down again. He was wrong.

With nothing to disrupt his night's sleep he'd been getting the nightmare more and more often. It was at the point now where he was getting it every single night and sometimes if he was unlucky more than once in the same night. He hated it. He hated every second of it. And to make matters worse, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wake himself up whilst the dream was happening. He had to experience every moment of it over and over again.

It was taunting him. No. It was punishing him. It was punishing him because he deserved to be punished. Guilt coursed through him, forcing him up out of his bed towards the desk in the far corner of the room. It suddenly didn't matter how late it was or how tired he might be, he had to keep working on his designs. Maybe the idea was crazy. Maybe it would never work. But he had to keep working on it. He had to keep the momentum going. He was so close to being able to build a prototype now.

He knew... he knew it would never be a proper cure, but he didn't need it to be a proper cure. He just needed it to make things better. To fix what _he'd_ done. He had to fix what he'd done. It was the only way he could live with himself and make the nightmares go away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Three months. Three months and no change. She just continued to lay there in a sleep like state completely unable to wake. She was like Sleeping Beauty, except it wasn't some witches curse which had put her in this state, it had been him. Yugi gave a heavy and weary sigh as he massaged the back of his neck. He was here every day, sitting on the same chair in near enough the same position for hours. It was his life now. His whole reason for being. The burden he had to shoulder for what he'd done to her. If the hospital staff didn't kick him out every night he would never leave her side; not until she woke up and he could beg for her forgiveness.

The others had forbidden him from telling anyone what had really happened. He understood their reasons for this, but it made things between Yugi, the hospital staff and Téa's parents really, really awkward. To begin with they'd just thought it was sweet and endearing. Then her parents started getting funny about him being there every time they came to visit their daughter and the hospital staff began to ask probing questions as if to suss out the state of his mental health. He didn't blame them; he could feel something inside his head starting to lose all direction, but he didn't care.

'You're making yourself ill,' the ghostly image of the Pharaoh appeared next to him. 'Between the emotional bombardment you get being in here and the lack of food and rest you've been getting... I'm really worried about you.'

'Don't be, I'm not worth it.'

'Yugi…'

'Did you know it's her birthday next month?' Yugi's voice was as dull as he felt. 'She's going to be eighteen and instead of being at home with her family celebrating, she's going to be in here asleep and missing it.'

'You don't know that.'

'Yes I do,' he blinked the tears back from his eyes. 'She's going to miss it and it's all my fault.'

'I wish you wouldn't be so hard on yourself all the time.'

'Why not? It's what I deserve. I practically tried to kill her.'

'But you were being controlled by evil at the time.'

'And that's an excuse?'

'Yugi, it wasn't you.'

'Then why can I remember doing it? Why can I remember how it felt?' Yugi shook his head miserably. 'I wanted to hurt her. Not because she was there. Not because she was convenient, but because she was my friend. I wanted to hurt her because she was my friend. I'm a terrible person.'

'No you're not.'

'Yes I am.'

'Yugi, I'm not having this argument with you again. Don't you see you're being way too hard on yourself?'

Taking a deep jagged breath in, Yugi returned his gaze to Téa. It didn't matter what anyone said, he knew in his heart what a terrible person he was. He deserved their scorn and hatred, not their forgiveness. Sighing again, he continued to watch Téa sleep. He would give anything for her to wake up right now, but her slumbering form remained unchanged. Inside he could feel his heart compressing inside the pain which filled his chest; if she never woke up it would be all his fault and he would never, _never_ forgive himself for it.

* * *

Mai took a deep calming breath in and closed her eyes. Since her pregnancy had hit the sixth month mark she'd found herself suffering from frequent panic attacks. But it wasn't until she reached the seven month mark and her dreams became filled with the memories of Crovell's enforced birth that she realised the reason for them. She was terrified someone was going to try and take her child from her.

Maybe she was just being silly. But after everything she'd been through in the last year or so, she knew nothing was impossible; especially considering what her future daughter's elder brother was capable of and the chaos his birth had caused. In fact the more she thought about it, the more she came to believe someone was watching and waiting in the shadows for their chance to harm her beautiful unborn child.

'Are you okay Mai?'

Opening her eyes again, she saw Joey watching her. His face was filled with a deep look of concern and her own anxieties shifted into guilt. Between being the First, helping rule the Silkoneon civilisation and being a good father to Crovell, Joey had more than enough stress on his plate as it was. And here Mai was just piling more onto him.

'I'm fine,' she slowly exhaled the breath she was holding, 'I'm getting better at anticipating them now.'

'So you're using those techniques the doctor's suggested then? To calm yourself down I mean.'

'Yeah.'

'They helping?'

'I'm not panicking am I?' Mai forced a smile onto her face, but it felt as weak as she did.

'Well I know something that will make you feel better,' Joey wrapped his arms around her waist and lovingly kissed her.

'I'm not agreeing to marry you' she playfully narrowed her gaze. 'You promised me you wouldn't ask again until Jo was born.'

'Hey, who's proposing here?' Joey's face filled with a sly grin. 'I'm insulted you'd think I'd go back on my word.'

'Then…'

'You'll see,' he chuckled mysteriously, 'you'll see.'

* * *

Leaning over the counter, Catilin pulled him into a long and deep kiss. She loved visiting him at work, but as the owner of the Black Clown Game Shop, Duke was rarely to be found on the shop floor. On those rare occasions she knew he would be, she always made a special effort to come and see him, just because.

'Hey Cat,' he grinned, as the kiss ended, 'you're early.'

'I know,' she giggled, before letting her eyes drift around the store. 'Piper not in this morning?'

'I haven't seen her.'

'Oh, but I was hoping she'd be here,' she couldn't help but pout.

'And here I thought you'd come to see me,' Duke fained insult.

'I had, but...'

'You know I'm not going to let you kidnap her, right?' Duke cut her off. 'I know we were joking about it before, but it's a serious offence you know.'

'I know,' Catilin grinned at him, 'but it's not kidnapping if they come with you willingly, I asked Ahna.'

'Cat, I know you mean well, but...'

'I just wanna talk with her. The way the air buzzes when she's around, the way she acts, the way she looks, there's something about her and you know it too.'

'I have to admit there is something familiar about her,' Duke pressed his lips together.

'The air is trying to tell me something, I know it is. But with all these people around I can't tell what it is. That's why I have to get her alone and find out.'

'Do you still think she might be...?'

'Uh-huh. It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean she just appeared out of nowhere almost three months ago, right? Isn't that what you told me?'

'Yeah, she did, but...'

'She makes the air buzz; that means she's more than she says she is. I just need to find out what it is.'

'And if you're wrong about who you think she is you might frighten her off permanently. She's a good duellist, who is currently bringing in a lot of customers in for me whether she means to or not. I'm not going to have you ruin that.'

'But I won't; the air doesn't lie to me Duke. Maybe she isn't who I think she is, but she's still somebody and wouldn't it be better if we know who that somebody is? Please Duke, I promise not to be scary.'

'You're not going to let this drop, are you?'

'I can't,' she shook her head.

'Then what choice do I have,' Duke gave a heavy sigh, 'just please be careful Cat; I worry about you.'

'You shouldn't worry about me Duke,' she grinned at him before playfully kissing his noise, 'my Calicaccu senses never let me down. They protect me always, just like you.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Mokuba edgily glanced around the corridor as he listened to the silence of the house. He didn't like it when the house felt so empty, especially when he'd just returned from another appointment with Dr Charm. When the decision had been made for Mokuba to see a counsellor to help him get over his experience in the hell future, he'd been very insistent said professional should be Dr Charm. After all, he'd already met her a couple of times before; she knew their family and if she was good enough for Tristan then she was good enough for him.

Dr Charm had quickly diagnosed him with a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder brought on by his most recent and most violent _kidnapping_. Of course she didn't know he'd been switched with a future version of himself and taken into the hell future, but Mokuba was still able to keep most of the details intact. Even if he had to manipulate certain details in order to protect certain secrets, he still found every single session rewarding.

His problems weren't just the nightmares he faced on a weekly basis. He found himself living in constant fear of being taken back to the hell future and as such hated having to spend any amount of time on his own. He was on his own when his future self had made the switch with him. Unfortunately for him, as Dr Charm loved to point out, he couldn't always avoid being on his own. She was the one who'd made the suggestion he start making his own way back from each session, just so he could get used to the idea that nothing bad would happen just because no one else was around to protect him.

So far he'd managed to meet her halfway with this. Tristan no longer came to pick him up from his appointments, but there was still a driver waiting for him to take him home again. Although now that he found himself shuffling around in what felt like a completely empty house he wasn't so sure he wanted to be home. He made his way back outside to where the driver was leant against the car enjoying a cigarette break.

'Can you take me to the hospital, I feel like visiting Téa today.'

'As you wish Master Mokuba,' he nodded as he dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it to put it out.

'I hope you're not planning on leaving that there,' Mokuba glared at him, 'you know how my brother feels about things like that.'

'Of course,' he picked it up and took it across the driveway to the special ashtray-rubbish bin which had been set up for their household staff.

As he did Mokuba let out a long, slow breath. Visiting Téa might have put him in a building full of people, but it also meant dealing with Yugi. That wasn't going to be fun; especially when the guy practically screamed at you to hate him. It would be an uncomfortable and awkward afternoon, but at the same time he just couldn't face being on his own for an indefinite amount of time. He'd only just managed to start going to bed without having to have someone wait with him till he'd fallen asleep, he knew he'd have to take the next step eventually, but he wasn't ready for it. Not yet.

So if the alternative to being on his own was having to put up with the depressingly dark cloud that was Yugi then what choice did he have? Because he had to take each step in his own time when he was ready, right? Isn't that what Dr Charm said?

* * *

'A light born from shadows, a shadow born from light. What once was day will now be night. What once was night will now be day. And all the shadows shall run away. The time has come, the time has passed. What once was first shall now be last. What once was last shall now be first. And all the heavens shall take the Earth. And I that once before you stood shall know you through your cloak and hood. You may hide, but never far. And I who know you, know who you are. For you are the shadow and I am the light. Though we may quarrel, we'll never fight. For I who know you shall know you then. Chaosa, Chaosa, Chaosen.'

Crovell gave an excited squeak and clapped his hands.

'You like that, don't you?' Covo grinned at him. 'Well if your Mummy and Daddy would let me, I would say it to you every day. But they don't understand its importance like me and you, do they? My little Chaosen,' he beamed proudly, 'you fancy going on a little trip?'

Crovell giggled and made more excited squeaks.

'Thought so,' Covo laughed. 'But you can't tell Mummy about this, she would kill me if she knew where we were going. But you have a right to see this, its part of your heritage. Your parents will get over their denial eventually. And until then you've got me and Duke to give you everything a young Silkoneon Chaosen might need. We believe in you Crovell, even if your parents don't.'

* * *

Stretching her entire body, she allowed herself to enjoy a momentary rest under the shade of a willow tree. The day was comfortably hot and made even better by the light, cool, ocean breeze. There was a beach just down below her where her friends were waiting for her to arrive. All she had to do was take the steps down to it and then...

Her mind hesitated. She knew her friends were down there waiting for her, but she didn't know why. In fact she couldn't actually remember how it was she'd ended up here in the first place. She knew it was important, really important, but... She shook the thoughts from her head and made her way down the steps towards the beach. It didn't matter how she got here or why she was here, right? All that matter was spending time with her friends. She hadn't done that in so long and it was all she wanted to do.

Even before her feet had made contact with the sand she could hear people talking and laughing somewhere nearby. The sound of music and the smell of a barbeque drifted towards her and that's when she remembered why she was here. It was an early birthday celebration for her. They were celebrating it early because... She couldn't remember why, but it didn't matter.

A huge grin spread across her face as she jumped from the second to last step onto the soft, warm sand and made her way towards the sound of voices. She must have been walking for about five minutes before she realised she wasn't getting any closer to them. For a moment fear bit at the pit of her stomach as she wondered what the hell was going on. That's when she spotted the message written in shells across the sand.

'Wake up?' She frowned. 'But... I am awake.'

* * *

'How is she?'

'No change,' Yugi's voice was as dull as he felt.

He was more than used to the presence of other visitors, but had long stopped caring who they were or why they were there. With the exception of Téa's parents no one really mattered anyway.

'And what about you?' The voice was edge with something which might have been concern.

'What about me?'

'Are you okay?'

He grunted, but didn't reply. He hated it when people asked how he was, because it meant they cared about him and nobody should care about him after what he'd done.

'You mind if I sit with you for a while?'

'I'm not going to stop you; after all, Téa needs all the support she can get right now.'

'I take it they still have no idea what's wrong with her then,' the visitor took a seat next to Yugi.

'They don't, but we do. I'm what's wrong with her.'

'Yugi...'

'It's true, isn't it?'

'Ah...' the visitor hesitated for a moment. 'Do you... do you think the First could help? I mean, use her healing powers to get Téa to wake up.'

'Joey's already tried that,' Yugi gave a heavy sigh, 'it didn't work. He thinks it's because the power of the Axe is beyond even the First's capabilities.'

'Then maybe we should get Crovell to try something. I mean, he is the Master of the Axe right?'

'I don't want that thing near me ever again,' Yugi gritted his teeth, 'and nor should anyone else.'

'Yugi... what...what happened it wasn't...'

'How can you say that after what I did? How can you all so calmly justify the fact I became a monster like it was nothing? Like it wasn't my fault when it was? Don't you get it? I should be hated for what I did. Everyone should hate me for what I did, especially her. I'm a terrible, horrible, evil person and that's all there is to it.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

'Well done,' Catilin clapped, making the brown haired girl half jump out of her skin, 'you're really good, I almost thought you were gonna make him cry.'

'That impresses you?' She eyed Catilin up suspiciously.

'I wouldn't like it if you did make him cry,' she shook her head, 'but you always seem so... excited when you duel, it's fun to watch.'

'Yeah, well I just need to blow off a little steam I guess,' she shrugged and turned away from her, 'and this seems to be the only thing which really does anything for me at the moment.'

'You're Piper, right?' Catilin grinned at her.

'Right,' she nodded, 'and you're Catilin.'

'How did you know?'

'You are dating the owner here, aren't you?' Piper shrugged again. 'People talk and, for whatever reason, they seem to like you.'

'Don't you like me?' Catilin blinked at her.

'I...' Piper hesitated, 'I don't even know you. You can't form an opinion about someone you don't know.' She picked up the black and white backpack lying at her feet and swung it onto her back. 'Well anyway, I'm off now.'

'Do you have to go?' Catilin couldn't help but pout. 'I was hoping we could play a little.'

'You don't duel.'

'No, but I can play other games and... well if you don't want to play we me we could always do something else.'

'Sorry, I don't have the time,' Piper adjusted the straps on her backpack. 'If I'm being really honest with myself, I didn't really have the time to come here in the first place. In fact, I probably shouldn't even come here at all, it's just...' her clear blue eyes lowered sadly, 'it doesn't matter; it's not like it's really my problem.'

'What does that mean?'

'That it doesn't matter,' Piper forced a smile onto her face. 'Anyway I really should be going now.'

'Wait,' Catilin caught hold of her arm, 'what about tomorrow?'

'What about tomorrow?' Piper frowned.

'Well if you don't have time for me today, how about you have time for me tomorrow. We could meet here in the morning and then go do something.'

'Why?'

'Because I like making friends,' Catilin grinned at her, 'and I want to make friends with you. Please, I can't promise it'll be more fun than duelling but I can promise it'll be fun.'

Piper hesitated for a few moments and her eyes moved back and forth as though she were seriously considering her options. After a few minutes a strangely determined look formed across her face, which melted within seconds into a relaxed and genuinely pleased looking smile.

'You're right, it could be fun,' Piper met Catilin's gaze, 'what you say we meet here about nine tomorrow?'

'Yay,' Catilin clapped, 'I can't wait.'

'Neither can I,' there was a strangely sly edge to Piper's voice, 'but I really have to go now, so I'll see you tomorrow, alright?'

'Uh-huh,' Catilin nodded eagerly, 'see you tomorrow.'

* * *

Mokuba's heart pounded fearfully in his chest when he saw Tristan leaving the house, with a bag flung over his shoulder and his parents' car waiting for him. He jumped out of the car he was in before it had a chance to stop moving and raced across the driveway towards him.

'Where are you doing?' He caught hold of Tristan's arm. 'Why are you leaving us?'

'I'm not… I'm…' Tristan swallowed hard, 'I'm not going away forever Mokuba; I just need a couple of days.'

'But why?'

'Because...' he hesitated, 'because Dr Charm thinks it'll be good for me. She... she gave me an... _ultimate_ in my session yesterday and... well of the three options she gave me this felt like the best one.'

'I don't understand,' Mokuba shook his head, 'why would she tell you to leave us?'

'Not leave you Mokuba, just... give myself a little space. I don't want to do this... and I was up all night trying to work out if I... if I could even bring myself to do it, but... Well of the other two options one's just not an option and the other... I... I just don't think I could put myself through it. So that left me with staying with my parents for a couple of days. But it will just be for a few days Mokuba I promise.'

'Does Seto know?'

'No,' Tristan lowered his gaze, 'Dr Charm made me promise I wouldn't tell him, because she thinks he'd just talk me into staying and then...' he shook his head, 'then I'd have an excuse not to follow through with any of the options,' he began tugging at the sleeves of his shirt.

'I don't understand; why do you need to do any of them at all?'

'Because...' he hesitated again. 'Look its personal Mokuba; I really don't want to get into this with you.'

'It's because she knows you're in love with Seto, right?' Mokuba tightened his grip on Tristan's arm. 'And she thinks you should tell him but you're too afraid to, right? I'm right, aren't I? Telling him how you feel is one of your other two options, isn't it? _Isn't it?'_

'I told you Mokuba, I'm not talking about this with you,' his gaze lowered and his jaw line hardened. 'Please, it's hard enough for me to leave as it is without you carrying on like this.'

'Good, because it should be hard,' Mokuba could feel his eyes start to burn with fearfully angry tears. 'Dr Charm's right, you know, you should tell him how you really feel. Then we could be one big, happy, totally messed up family, like we should be.'

'No, we won't, because _he_ doesn't...' Tristan gave a choked sounding laugh and shook his head.

He then placed a hand on top of Mokuba's and prised it off of his arm. For a few moments there was a long and awkward silence.

'Even... even _if _ he doesn't, he wouldn't... he wouldn't hate you for it you know,' Mokuba's voice was as small as he felt in that moment. 'He wouldn't hate you for anything, he can't. I know he can't.'

'But that's not the point, is it?' Tristan began playing with the key around his neck. 'I don't want him not to hate me for it, I want him...' he cut himself off. 'And we both know that's never going to happen. So I'm going to take Dr Charm's advice and go clear my head for a few days. If I can have just a little bit of my own space then maybe... maybe things will be different. I just can't... I can't keep living like this.'

'But I don't want you to leave,' Mokuba shook his head, 'I need you here.'

'It'll be alright lus braysta, you'll see.'

Before Mokuba could say anything else, Tristan climbed into the back of his parents' car and shut the door. He shot a single, sad smile in Mokuba's direction as the car drove away. The pain Mokuba felt watching him leave was unbearable; Tristan was like a brother to him. He was a big part of his weird little family and nothing... nothing would feel right without him there.

Too numb to care whether or not he was on his own, Mokuba stumbled his way into the house. He then drifted from room to room for what felt like an eternity, before he finally found his brother entering through one of the sets of French doors which led out into the back garden. There was a strange, caught outlook on Kaiba's face, but in that moment in time Mokuba didn't really care why it was there.

'M-Mokuba I...' Kaiba hesitated, 'are you okay?'

'Tristan's gone.'

'What?'

'Tristan's gone,' Mokuba could hear the childish whine of tears in his voice, but he didn't really care. 'Tristan's gone. He's left us.'

'What?' Kaiba's eyes were wide with disbelief. 'When? Why? I don't... I don't understand.'

'He's gone. He's gone. He's gone. He's gone.'

'Mokuba calm down,' Kaiba gripped hold of Mokuba's shoulders. 'Tell me what happened? Why did Tristan leave? Tell me.'

'Dr Charm,' Mokuba choked out the words, 'she told him to. She told him to leave us. Make him come back. Make him come back. Please Seto, make him come back. I can't be all alone. I can't. I can't. Please.'

'I...' Kaiba shook his head, 'I can't... I can't believe this. It has to be some kind of mistake. Where did he go? Do you know where he went?'

'To his parents. He went to his parents. Please make him come back. Please. I can't be all alone Seto. Please.'

'You... you're not alone,' Kaiba swallowed hard, 'you've got me too, remember? Calm down, I'm sure this is just some kind of mistake.'

'I can't be all alone, I can't,' Mokuba knew he was being irrational now, but he couldn't help it; this situation was too much for him. 'Please make him come back Seto. Please make him come back.'

* * *

'Da, da, da, da, da,' Crovell chirped happily as they entered the chamber, 'bree.'

'That's right,' Covo grinned, 'this is where the Odraians go to worship the Three Mistresses; pretty cool, huh? And you haven't even seen the best part of it yet.' Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. 'A light born from shadows, a shadow born from light. What once was day will now be night. What once was night will now be day. And all the shadows shall run away. The time has come, the time has passed. What once was first shall now be last. What once was last shall now be first. And all the heavens shall take the Earth. And I that once before you stood shall know you through your cloak and hood. You may hide, but never far. And I who know you, know who you are. For you are the shadow and I am the light. Though we may quarrel, we'll never fight. For I who know you shall know you then. Chaosa, Chaosa, Chaosen.'

The second he finished chanting the poem the whole chamber lit up around them. This caused Crovell to clap and make several happy chattering noises.

'You like that, huh?' Covo beamed. 'Knew you would. So what do you think of your heritage little one? Pretty cool, huh?'

'Breeeee.'

'Yeah,' he laughed in agreement, 'and one day, probably when you're much, much bigger, I'm sure your real Daddy will bring you here. Or you'll bring him here, which is probably more likely.'

In the three months since he'd discovered the paintings, Covo had come here multiple times to study them. He wanted to have every single detail memorised, because he felt it was important for at least one of Crovell's parental figures to do so. He had told the others about the secrets of the chamber, but the only ones who'd been willing to see it for themselves so far had been Catilin and Duke. The others, especially Joey and Ahna, had refused point blank to have anything to do with it. It disappointed Covo on a level he hadn't even realised he could experience; every child, even one who probably knows more about it then you, has a right to learn about their heritage first hand. This was a part of Crovell's heritage and, no matter what his parents thought, he should be allowed to see it for himself.

'You see that?' Covo pointed towards the Yatnuh on the wall opposite. 'That's how you were able to show me what happened in Giya, do you remember?'

Crovell laughed and clapped happily, before reaching his chubby little hands towards it.

'You know Huntay, is Yatnuh spelt backwards; that was another secret nod back to the Chaosen. But I guess you probably knew that already, huh.' He smiled down at him. 'You want to touch it?'

'Eee!'

'I'll take that as a yes then.'

He moved so that the depiction of the Yatnuh was within Crovell's reach. Almost as soon as the child touched it, however, he began to emit a dark blue aura. Alarmed, Covo pulled him back, but it was too late. The aura engulfed the child and, in a streak of light, Crovell's form disappeared into the Yatnuh, leaving a horrified Covo staring at a blank wall.

'Oh no, no, no, no,' he shook his head and back away. 'This can't be happening; tell me this isn't happening.'

Filled with panic, his eyes darted around the chamber, but there was nothing. No pictures, no light and, worst of all, no Crovell.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

'What do you mean you lost him?' Ahna's voice was dry to the point of unreadable.

'I… I mean…' Covo shook his head and turned his gaze away, 'I... I'm sorry, I... I had no idea something like that was going to happen. It didn't even occur to me; why would it? I didn't think...'

'No, you're right, you didn't think,' she cut him off. 'You didn't think and now my son is missing. Oh god Covo, what if we never get him back?' She was visibly trembling now. 'Where is he?'

'I wish I knew,' Covo swallowed hard, 'but I promise I won't rest until I find him.'

'Oh god, my poor baby boy,' she buried her face in her hands, 'how... how could this happen? How...?'

The rest of her sentence was smothered in the choked sound of her tears. Covo wrapped his arms around her and prayed with everything in him things would be alright. Unfortunately for him things were going to get worse long before they'd get better; because somebody needed to tell Joey his son was missing and that somebody would have to be him.

* * *

Sighing heavily, she hung up the phone and made her way into the living room. Her son was sat on the couch, with his knees against his chest and his arms circled round them. He was staring intensely at the clock on the mantle and she couldn't be sure if it was because he was in a world of his own or because he wasn't sure what time it was. His mood could be unpredictable at the best of times, so she figured it would be best to stay away from that subject completely.

'That was Seto on the phone,' she took a seat on the couch next to him, 'he's worried about you.'

'What did you tell him?'

'That you needed your own space for a couple of days,' she smiled tightly at him. 'He wasn't happy about it, but I made him understand it was the best thing for you. So... do you want to tell me what this fight is about?'

'Fight?' Tristan frowned at her. 'What fight?'

'Sorry, I just thought...' she pressed her lips together. 'I know you said this was Dr Charm's suggestion but... I get the feelings there's something you're not telling me. Aren't you and Seto getting along anymore?'

'No, we are,' his fingers began tugging on the cuffs of his sleeves, 'in fact we're probably getting on better now than we ever have; we barely even disagree on anything anymore. It's just...'

'Just what?'

'I told you, Dr Charm gave me three options and this felt like the only one I could do.'

'So what were the other options then?'

Tristan gave a heavy sigh, shook his head and shifted his gaze away. There were a few minutes of silence, before she found herself pulling him into a motherly hug.

'You know I'll love you, no matter what, right?' She kept her voice as calm and level as possible. 'I just want to know you're okay and that you're happy. I know things aren't easy for you right now, but... even if I do feel like he's stealing you away from me sometimes... I know he's good for you.'

'So then why does it hurt so much?'

'Why does what hurt so much?'

Tristan gave a heavy sigh, shook his head and said nothing.

'You don't really want to be here, do you?' She pulled him closer to her. 'So why are you?'

'Because I'm afraid,' Tristan's voice was small.

'Afraid of what?'

'Of losing everything,' there was a slight tremble to his voice. 'This was the only option she gave me where I wouldn't... couldn't lose everything, so I had to take it. I couldn't risk any other option, I just couldn't risk it.'

'I don't understand,' she held him away so she could study his face, 'why would you lose everything? What did she ask you to do exactly?'

Again Tristan didn't respond. Instead he stared glumly down at his feet and shook his head again. She gave another heavy sigh and realised this was probably all she was going to get out of him.

'Come on, how about we make a cake,' she forced a smile onto her face as she deliberately changed the conversation.

'You mean, like we used to when I was five,' he stared at her in confusion. 'I know how I act when I can't remember things, but... that doesn't mean you can treat me like a little kid.'

'I'm your mother,' she smirked at him, 'I don't need an excuse to treat you like a little kid, or had you forgotten? And besides,' she pulled him into another hug, 'you like it when I treat you like a kid.'

* * *

Mai gave a heavy sigh, closed her eyes and tried to convince her mind it was time for sleep. It should have been a fairly easy thing to achieve, after all Joey had spent the day spoiling her and she was now feeling calmer and more relaxed than she had in a long while. The problem was, Joey wasn't with her right now and some insistent part of her subconscious was refusing to shut off properly until his arms were wrapped around her.

It was late when they'd returned from their day out, but that hadn't stopped Covo and Ahna insisting they needed to talk to Joey right away. There was something so urgent about their tone that Mai's stomach had instantly clenched with dread. Joey had done his best to reassure her, even putting her to bed before going to talk to them just to try and restore the calm she'd been feeling before. And it had worked, until her subconscious decided she needed to wait for his return in order to be able to sleep and then... then her mind began to go over all the reasons why Ahna and Covo would need to speak to Joey now and not wait till morning.

She tried so hard to keep those thoughts away, but it was impossible. They circled round her mind like vultures, steadily getting closer and chasing away all the calm and contentment she'd been feeling. Before she even knew what was happening fear and panic clawed at her stomach, convincing her something bad was happening. Something really, really bad.

'Joey, come back,' she curled in on herself as best she could, 'come back Joey, please.'

* * *

'You lost my son,' Joey's voice was just as tight as Ahna's had been; only the traces of pure anger within it were a lot more obvious. 'You lost my son? Just what kind of an idiot are you?'

'I... I'm sorry,' Covo swallowed hard.

'Sorry is not good enough Covo,' his voice seethed out of him between gritted teeth, 'when did this even happen?'

'Early this afternoon.'

'And you waited till now to tell me?'

'You... you were out.'

'That's no excuse Covo; you should have at least tried to find me.' Joey's expression was slowly filling with rage. 'My gods Covo, he's my son and you lost him.'

'I didn't… it wasn't… I mean…'

'He couldn't possibly have known that was going to happen, Ver,' Ahna placed a hand on his arm in a clear attempt to placate the situation. 'I'll be the first to admit what he did was stupid, but I've made my peace with that now. After all, we're going to need to be calm if we're going to rescue our son.'

'Ahna I would never tell you how to run your life,' Joey half glared at her, 'but do me a favour and don't ever marry this guy. He clearly can't be trusted with anything important.'

'I... uh...' Covo shifted awkwardly. 'I... uh... I guess we should call SK then.'

'Why?'

'Because... because that's what we always do when we need this kind of help, right?'

'He's got a point,' Ahna sighed. 'After all, this is the kind of thing he's here for isn't it?'

'What, finding lost children?' Joey sounded exasperated.

'No, I mean helping the Mistresses.'

'But it's not the Mistresses in need of help, its Crovell.'

'Yeah and Crovell's the First's son, so I think this qualifies.'

'Fine,' he snapped. 'I mean, fine, we'll call them. Or rather, I'll call them, your mate's done more than enough damage and I want him to stay as far away from this as possible.'

'And what about me? He's my son too, remember.'

'If SK comes, then so will Jay.'

'And?'

'And the pair of you will become powerless.'

'I don't care. I should be here when you call them.'

'Look, you're better off staying out of this Ahna.'

'But he's my son too, I can't...'

Before she could finish what she was saying, a panic filled Mai stumbled into the room.

'Joey,' she gasped, 'Joey.'

'Mai, its okay, its okay calm down,' Joey darted towards her. 'Just breath, remember. It'll pass.'

'Joey...' the word came out like an emotional hiccup, 'Joey...'

'It's okay Mai, I'm here for you,' Joey swallowed hard before shooting a glance back towards them.

'Crovell can wait,' a weak smile filled Ahna's face, 'you have to take care of Mai now.'

Joey nodded and, without hesitation, led Mai out of the room. As soon as he was gone Ahna let out a deep and almost relieved sounding sigh.

'Okay, we need to get to the Temple of Set.'

'What?' Covo shot her a look.

'Joey only said I couldn't be there when he called SK and Jay in on this,' she folded her arms stubbornly, 'he didn't say I couldn't go looking for _my_ son myself. And that's exactly what I plan to do. So the only question now is, are you coming with me Covo, or not?'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

She didn't know how long she'd been stood there for, staring at the message written in shells, when the tide began to lap at her feet. Shaking her head, she slowly made her way up the beach half wondering how it had become so dark without her even noticing. She didn't have long to dwell on this, however, as she spotted a large beach house on the shoreline ahead of her. Some instinct made her head towards it and before she even knew what she was doing she found herself inside.

The room she was in was like some kind of entertainment hall, with a large sweeping staircase at one end. The hall was vaguely decorated and, for the first few minutes, completely empty. Then other people started to arrive, congregating in little groups all across the hall. She didn't recognise a single one of them and somewhere in the pit of her stomach she couldn't help but wonder where the hell her friends were.

'You're here at last,' an excited redheaded girl grabbed hold of her arm, 'I've been waiting for you.'

'Where am I?' She found herself studying the girl for some clue as to who she was, but there was nothing familiar about her.

'Oh don't worry about that,' the girl giggled, 'all this is for someone else.'

'Then why am I here?'

'Because I have a little present for you,' the girl grinned, 'a birthday present, from the Master.'

'But it's not my birthday yet.'

'He knows that, but he really couldn't wait any longer, he needs you to have it now. Come on, I'll show it to you.'

Without waiting for a response, the redheaded girl pulled her towards a table at the far end of the room. On the table was a beautiful axe with a butterfly shaped head.

'No. I don't want that,' she tried to pull herself away from the redhead, but the other girl's grip was strong.

'But the Master needs you to have it.'

'But I don't want it. I don't want to be anywhere near it.'

'The Master said you might be afraid of it, but don't worry, it can't hurt you now,' the redhead's voice was soft and reassuring. 'But you have to understand, the game will begin soon and the Master _needs_ you to have it, so you can't refuse.'

'Game?'

'When the Master comes, he will explain.'

'I don't understand,' she shook her head, 'who is your Master and why does he want me to have that?' She pointed towards the axe.

'Because you're the only one who can't play for them, so he needs you to play for him.'

'Play what? What's going on?'

'The Master will explain everything when he arrives.'

'No, I want you to explain.'

'I can't; the Master won't allow it. But he'll be here soon and then he'll explain everything.'

'Hey, new guys,' a boy with jet black hair appeared out of nowhere next to them, '_they're_ about to come back, so are you leaving or sticking around to watch?'

'We're watching,' the redhead smiled sweetly at him, 'the Master has requested it.'

'Then you need your cards. No one can stay without their cards, understand. This is _their_ world and those are the rules.'

'Cards?' She flicked a confused look between the redhead and the boy with jet black hair. 'What cards? What's going on here?'

'You promised us your outsider would understand,' the boy glared at the redhead, 'she won't be permitted to stay if she doesn't understand.'

'I'll make sure she understands, you just get back to your mark,' the redhead used her hands to shoo him away.

'He doesn't like me, does he?' She felt her lip tremble slightly as the boy walked away.

'Nobody likes invaders,' the redhead rolled her eyes, 'but they don't have a choice. The Master wants us both to see what happens here.'

'Why?'

'I can't fulfil my intended purpose, so he's hoping I'll see something here which will... create a new purpose for me,' the redhead smirked as she tilted her head to one side. 'As for you, he's hoping watching this will let you see why you can't play for them. And when you understand why you can't play for them, you'll be ready.'

'Ready for what?'

'To meet the Master.'

'But... what if I don't understand?' She shook her head. 'What if I watch whatever it is that's about to happen and I still don't understand?'

'The Master has prepared me for that possibility, don't you worry.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means whatever it needs to mean,' the redhead shrugged, 'that's just the way things are in a dream.'

'A dream?' She felt confused. 'But this isn't a dream, this is the real world.'

'The Master said you would say that,' the redhead smirked, 'don't worry, you'll understand everything soon enough, I promise. That's the whole reason we're here, remember? So you can understand.'

* * *

_He stared at the flashing green face of his alarm clock, but the numbers didn't make_ _any sense to him; until he turned over and view them in the mirror that is. The second he saw them reflected their meaning was as clear as a bell. He knew there was something wrong with that, but he didn't let it bother him. Instead he sat up and examined the inside of the clean, sterile room he was in. It was white, bland and ordinary. Too ordinary, making the bed he was sat on feel extremely out of place._

_ The bed itself had these metal guard-like railings either side and attached to these railings at the top and the bottom were leather straps. He knew he didn't like them just by looking at them, but it was more than that. They made him feel incredibly uncomfortable; like a bad memory floating just below the surface of his consciousness. It was enough to force him up out of bed, across the bland room and out into the even blander looking corridor outside. _

_ The corridor was just as white as the room he'd left. It was long and echoey and lit by a series of tacky strip lights; some of which buzzed and flickered in a manner which made him feel sick. He spent a few moments looking up and down the corridor, before deciding to head along the path on his right. He didn't make it very far when the corridor ahead of him fell into shadows. Somewhat automatically he came to a stop and turned around to find the path behind him was also in darkness. The only light left in the whole corridor came from the strip light above him, which flickered in a strangely taunting manner._

_ He was trapped. Trapped by shadowy darkness all around him. He could feel himself start to panic; he didn't want to be here anymore. He didn't like this place. He didn't know what this place was or why he was here, he just knew he didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He had to be anywhere but here._

_ Without warning he found himself at the top of a sweeping staircase, looking down across a large, dimly lit ballroom. He could feel something in his hands and looking down he saw an orangey colour playing card with an empty grey box depicted on it. He didn't know why, but the fact the card had at one time been torn in two really upset him. The sound of excited voices reached his ears, bringing his attention back to the room below. After spotting a huddled group of people near the staircase, he decided to head towards them and ask them why his card was torn. But even before he reached them, he could see the cards they were all holding; the beautifully decorated cards, with pictures on them that they were proudly showing off to each other._

_ He couldn't understand it. Why was he the one with the ugly damaged card? Why couldn't his be like theirs? He wanted his to be like theirs. He wanted it more than anything. A boy suddenly appeared beside him, saying something he couldn't understand. But it didn't matter. All he could see was another happy person, with another perfect little card. Anger coursed through him, as he snatched the card from the boy's hands and tore it in two._

_ Instantly the boy's eyes bulged and a trickle of blood ran down from his mouth. He was then forced to watch in horror, as the boy fell lifelessly to the ground._

_ 'No,' he shook his head in disbelief, 'no, I didn't mean it.' He knelt down beside the boy and slowly turned him onto his back. 'I'm sorry, I…' _

_ His heart stopped. He recognised the cold blue eyes staring up at him. A lump formed in his throat._

_ 'No, Seto!'_

* * *

Her son's terrified cries had sent her running into his room. The second he spotted her, his already wide eyes widened further.

'Where am I? Where's Seto?'

'Tristan it's…'

'How do you know my name?' He cut her off.

'Tristan I... I'm your mother,' there was more than a note of hurt in her voice.

'No,' he shook his head, 'no, you're lying; you have to be. Where am I? What did you do with Seto?'

'I didn't do anything with him,' she took a step towards him, 'you wanted to come here.'

'No,' he leapt out of bed, 'I would never want to come here. Why are you lying to me? Where am I? Where's Seto?'

'Tristan,' slowly she made her way towards him, desperate for him to recognise her again, 'it's okay. I'm your mother; I'm not going to hurt you.'

'Then why did you take me away from Seto?'

'I didn't, you wanted to come here.'

'Stop lying!'

'But I'm not…' she stopped, clearly that wasn't going to get through to him. 'Do you want me to call Seto for you?'

He nodded.

'Alright, I'll be back in a minute.'

Sighing heavily, she left to find the cordless phone. Picking it up, she dialled in the now familiar number. She then mentally counted the number of rings it took him to pick up.

'Do you have any idea how late it is?' A voice eventually grunted down the phone to her.

'And hello to you too Seto,' she smirked to herself as she made her way back to Tristan's room.

'Oh it's you,' his voice softened, 'what do you want?'

'I need you to tell Tristan…'

As soon as she spotted the open window in the now empty room, the phone fell from her hands.

'Hello?' Distantly she heard Kaiba's voice calling down the line to her. 'Mrs Taylor? What's going on? Hello?'

With her whole body trembling she reached down and scooped up the phone.

'He's gone,' the words trembled out of her, 'he's gone!'


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As if he was just going to wait there for her to brainwash him; how dumb did she think he was? He didn't believe for a second she'd really gone for the phone and it didn't take a genius to work out he'd been kidnapped. He was a little curious as to exactly how and when she'd managed to kidnap him, but only a little curious. After all, he'd managed to escape now so all he had left to do was get home.

Unfortunately for him that was easier said than done. Nothing looked even remotely familiar and the more he kept moving the less familiar things became. Knowing his kidnapper was probably already out looking for him, he kept moving forward. It didn't matter if he was heading in the wrong direction or not, because eventually he would come across someone or something which could help fix that little problem. What mattered was sating ahead of _her_. So long as he stayed ahead of her he would be safe.

As he turned into a new street, the lamp above him began to flicker. Swallowing hard, he lowered his head; he didn't really want any reminders of the dream which had woken him. Okay, maybe the dream waking him was the only reason he knew he'd been kidnapped to begin with, but that didn't mean he was going to thank it any time soon. It was a bad dream. It was a very bad dream and the further he could get his mind away from it the better.

He suppressed a shudder and forced himself to pick up his pace a little. As he moved along he kept his eyes alert for something... anything familiar which would help him get home. But there was nothing and his bare feet were starting to feel numb and sore. He was starting to wish he'd had time to search for some kind of footwear, but he doubted somehow he would have found anything. Kidnappers rarely left you with shoes, because shoes meant a means of escape.

The street he was walking down narrowed into a dimly lit alleyway. Instantly fear began to rise in his stomach; he didn't want to go down there, but if he stopped now she might catch up with him. Quickly his eyes flicked about for another route to take, but there was none. He had no choice, if he wanted to keep moving and stay ahead of her he would have to enter the alleyway and take his chances with the dark.

* * *

This wasn't the first time Kaiba had to hit the streets looking for Tristan in the middle of the night, but at least those times he'd started out from their home and had been easy enough to find. Sighing heavily, he stared out of the window as the car he was in slowly made its way along.

'Stop,' the words were out of his mouth the second he spotted a dark shadow stumbling blindly out of an alleyway.

Before the car had a chance come to a standstill, he'd leapt out of it and dashed over to the figure.

'Tristan,' grabbing him by the arm, he spun him round towards him and was shocked to see just how frightened his friend's face was.

'Seto…'

Without even thinking about the consequences, Kaiba wrapped his arms around him and felt him tremble in a mix of fear and cold.

'It's okay,' he whispered, 'its okay, you're safe now, I promise.'

'I knew you'd find me,' Tristan's voice was small and child-like as he clung onto Kaiba, 'you always find me.'

'You remember that, huh?' He tried to smile, but it felt stiff and awkward.

'Of course I remember. I remember everything about you. I love you.'

The sound of those words made Kaiba's heart stop dead in his chest. Ever since his encounter with Body, Kaiba had been paying more attention to the way Tristan acted. He wasn't stupid; he knew these words were going to come eventually, but he hadn't expected them now and he sure as hell didn't know what to do with them. So he just did the only thing he could do and just pretend he hadn't heard them. A part of him almost cursed himself for once again choosing to bury his head in the sand instead of dealing with things, but he was far too good at it now and he wasn't ready to stop yet. Instead he gave a heavy sigh and led Tristan back to the car.

'Take us home will you,' he glanced at the driver once he and Tristan were settled in the back.

'Yes sir.'

As the car pulled away again, Tristan rested his head against Kaiba's chest and closed his eyes. Tentatively Kaiba placed an arm loosely around his shoulder. His mind then became scattered with a thousand thoughts. Why now? Why did Tristan have to say those words now? He didn't want to hear those words now. He wasn't ready for them yet. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to be ready for them. Mixed feelings of fear and resistance began to pull through Kaiba; his own thoughts were confusing and muddled and all he wanted to do was suppress them and pretend they weren't there.

'I can feel it slipping away,' Tristan's voice was little more than a low murmur, 'I'm frightened.'

'Don't be afraid,' Kaiba sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around him, 'it'll be okay. Even if it all goes away, it will come back again. It always does.'

'I can't be afraid if you're around,' his fingers began playing with the material of Kaiba's shirt; his voice sounding younger by the second, 'because I know you'll always protect me.'

'How can you be so sure,' Kaiba's mouth felt dry.

'Because I am.'

'I'm not,' he shook his head, 'I'm not sure of anything, not anymore,' he gave an awkward sounding laugh. 'There was a time... there was a time I thought I knew exactly who I was and what I was capable of,' his voice was so low he was certain he was the only one who could hear it. 'There was a time when I thought I knew what I needed and how to get to where I was going. But I'm not the person who knows that anymore. Somewhere along the line I lost all the confidence I used to have and all I want is to get it back, but I don't know how.'

There were a few long moments of silence, broken only by the sound of gravel crunching against tires as the car made its way up the driveway. When it came to a stop, the two of them got out of the car and stumbled towards the house.

'Will it be scary when all my memories are gone?' Tristan's brown eyes met with him.

'It can be sometimes,' Kaiba kept his voice soft as he led him upstairs.

'Then I want to stay with you.'

'Huh?'

'I don't want to be scared again and I'm never scared when I'm with you. Let me stay with you, please? I want to stay with you.'

* * *

'I still don't understand why the pictures didn't appear this time,' Covo's voice was low, as the pair of them quietly examined the Chamber of the Three Mistresses, 'they've always appeared before.'

'That's probably because whoever took my son didn't want anyone to find him,' Ahna gave a frustrated sigh.

She had no idea how long they'd been there for now. All she knew was that it was late and she was tired.

'Well at least we're saving Jay and SK a job,' Covo rubbed his face wearily, 'I mean, we can officially tell them the scene of the crime is clear.'

'That's not exactly a good thing you know.'

'I know,' he lowered his gaze, 'I was just saying.'

'Maybe you should try that rhyme again,' Ahna ran her fingers back through her hair, 'or better yet, maybe I should try it.'

'I suppose it's worth a shot,' Covo shrugged. 'You do know it, right?'

'Of course,' she rolled her eyes.

'Then I think you should give it a go.'

'Fine,' she took a deep breath. 'A light born from shadows, a shadow born from light. What once was day will now be night. What once was night will now be day. And all the shadows shall run away. The time has come, the time has passed. What once was first shall now be last. What once was last shall now be first. And all the heavens shall take the Earth. And I that once before you stood shall know you through your cloak and hood. You may hide, but never far. And I who know you, know who you are. For you are the shadow and I am the light. Though we may quarrel, we'll never fight. For I who know you, shall know you then. Chaosa, Chaosa, Chaosen.'

Almost instantly the chamber around them filled with light and the walls became covered with the missing painting.

'Great, it works for you,' Covo's voice was filled with more than a tinge of sarcasm.

'Just be grateful that it worked Covo,' Ahna glared at him, 'now where exactly did my son disappear?'

'Over there,' he pointed towards the depiction of the Yatnuh.

'Huh,' she walked curiously towards it, 'it seems pretty harmless to me.'

'Don't be fooled,' he wandered over to her, 'it's a pretty powerful mark, trust me.'

'Really?' She reached a hand towards it.

'Careful Ahna, that's exactly how it's activated the last two times.'

'Two times?' Ahna glanced back at him.

'Yeah, that's how I watched the battle between the Mistresses and the Reganna, remember?'

'Oh yeah,' she turned her attention back towards it. 'So it's activated by touching it, huh?'

'I guess so.'

'Then maybe we should activate it.'

'What?'

'Come on Covo, how else am I going to get my son back?'


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The party had been over for a while now, the Master had come and gone and she was just letting everything sink in as she stared out across their playing field. It was strange, in so many ways this whole situation felt like complete and utter madness to her, but at the same time...

'Do you feel that,' the redheaded girl's voice sounded from just behind her.

'Yeah,' she closed her eyes and listened to the strange, distant, pulsating sound, 'what is it?'

'It's the sound of someone trying to start the game early.'

'Do you think the Master knows about this?'

'The Master knows everything,' the redhead placed a hand on her shoulder, 'but right now he's waiting for you to decide what to do.'

'I still don't fully understand why he's asked me to do this,' she shook her head and lifted the axe she was holding into view. 'Wasn't this what you were designed for?'

'It was,' she sighed.

'So why aren't you the one doing it?'

'Because no matter how real the Master made me, I could never hold the axe,' as the redhead spoke she passed her hand through the blade of the axe as if either she or it wasn't really there.

'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be,' she shook her head dismissively, 'I have a new purpose now and so do you,' she lifted her head towards the pulsating sound. 'So what are you going to do about them?'

'There are twelve players in total, correct?'

'Yeah.'

'And how many of them are trying to start early?'

'Only two.'

'There's nothing to stop them from starting early, is there?' She tilted her head in thought.

'They wouldn't have much to do though; the challenges can't start until all twelve players are present.'

'But they would be able to explore this place, right? And try to figure out what might be going on.'

'Yes they would.'

'Would either side benefit from it?'

'No, not really. Until the game starts in earnest they won't be able to figure out what's actually going on.'

'So there's really no harm in them starting early then,' she adjusted her grip on the axe.

'None at all,' the redhead smirked, 'if anything it'll prove to be a little bit of entertainment for us.'

'And the Master would like that, right?'

'The Master will be happy with any decision you make.'

'Then I've made my decision; I want to be entertained.'

* * *

The last thing Covo could remember was the chamber filling with a bright light. Even though they'd expected something to happen, the strength and intensity of the light had taken him completely and utterly by surprise. It had poured its way into every single one of his senses, stretched back through his brain and into his whole body, making him feel sick and dizzy beyond belief. Eventually the intensity of the experience had forced him into a state of unconsciousness or at least that's what he assumed had happened when he found himself lying on something hard, staring at the dark backs of his eyelids.

'Hey Ahna are you okay?' He groaned and rubbed the remaining tension from his still throbbing head.

There was no reply.

'Ahna?' Covo blinked a few times as he lowered his hands from his face and opened his eyes.

As the bleary blur shifted from his vision he realised he was no longer in the Chamber of the Three Mistresses. Instead he found himself in a forest, with the first ray of dawn slowly lighting up the area. Sitting up he scanned his surroundings for Ahna, but she was nowhere to be seen. He then spent a few long moments debating his options, before deciding the best thing to do was use Earthen Calling to not only find out where the hell he was, but whether or not Ahna was anywhere nearby.

Covo placed his hand firmly against the earth below him, closed his eyes and concentrated. He remained like this for what felt like an eternity before having to concede that, for whatever reason, the technique wasn't working.

'That's strange,' he reopened his eyes and studied his hand, 'it's never failed me before.'

As he studied his hand he noticed a circular tattoo on the underside of his wrist. Instantly everything in him went into an almost static kind of shock. He knew that tattoo. He knew exactly what it was, what it did and what it meant. He knew it because it was Ahna's power binding tattoo.

'What the hell,' he shook his head, even more mystified with the situation than he already was, 'what did I do to deserve this? Oh well,' he sighed as he got to his feet and brushed himself down, 'I guess I'll have to find out what's going on the old fashioned way. So the only question left is; which way do I go?'

* * *

He yawned and stretched his entire body out as he slowly came round. For a few long, blissful minutes he didn't know who he was, where he was or why he was there. For those same few long, blissful minutes the answers to those questions didn't matter. Nothing matter except the comfortable feeling of the bed beneath him and the snugly warmth of the duvet he was under.

Unfortunately for him those few long, blissful minutes came to an abrupt end with the all too soon return of his memory. A deep groan escaped him as memories of the night before played through his mind.

'Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,' he pulled the cover up over his head and prayed it would suffocate him or something. 'Oh god, please say that was some kind of really weird dream. Please say none of that actually happened. Please, please, please don't say I...'

He cut himself off with a noise somewhere halfway between a groan of embarrassment and a scream of frustration. That was it. Life as he knew it was over forever. He'd committed complete and utter relationship suicide on two fronts at pretty much the same time. He was an idiot, a complete and utter idiot.

'Seto are you... are you in here?' The sound of Mokuba's voice made him jump.

'No, he's not,' Tristan lowered the duvet from his face and forced himself to sit up, 'but I am.'

'What...?' The expression on Mokuba's face was somewhere halfway between a smirk of amusement and a frown of confusion. 'What are you doing here? I thought you'd gone to stay with your parents.'

'Yeah... that went well,' Tristan shifted his gaze away and gave a nervous laugh. 'I forgot who my parents were, accused my Mum of kidnapping me and... ran off into the middle of the night like I was being chased by an axe murderer or something. I'm so embarrassed,' he buried his face in his hands, 'just by that alone.'

'What do you mean, _just by that alone_?' Mokuba's voice toned with curiosity. 'What else happened last night? And does it have anything to do with why you're in my brother's bed?'

'Uh, I hadn't even noticed that,' Tristan lowered his hand and glanced around the room. 'Well if I was going to make a total idiot out of myself, I'm glad I did it in the most catastrophic way possible.'

'Oh come on, I'm sure whatever it was couldn't have been that bad.'

'I...' Tristan hesitated, not sure whether or not he should have this conversation, 'I... uh... I told your brother I loved him.'

'You want?' Mokuba did his best to suppress the excited grin pulling at his lips as he practically bounced his way over to the bed and sat down. 'When? How? What did he say? Are you guys together now?'

'It happened last night, after he found me and I was already acting like an adolescent,' Tristan edgily rubbed the back of his neck, 'and he said... _nothing_. At least nothing I can remember at any rate. I then talked him into letting me stay with him because I could feel all my memories slipping away, turning what must have been an awkward situation for him into some kind of hell.'

'I'm sure he didn't take it that badly,' Mokuba pulled a face.

'Oh yeah, that's why he's here now discussing it with me like a mature adult, instead of off at the office pretending it never happened.'

'He's not at the office,' he shook his head, 'and _if_ he doesn't feel the same way, maybe him trying to forget it happened isn't such a bad thing.'

'No, him trying to forget it ever happened is just about the _worst_ thing he could do. Because it _will_ make things really awkward between us and... ugh I've just ruined everything, I know it,' Tristan shook his head and stared up at the ceiling.

'You... you haven't ruined everything,' Mokuba pressed his lips together.

'Yes I have and... Wait,' he lowered his head, 'how do you know Seto's not at the office?'

'What?'

'You came in here looking for him like you had no idea whether he was in or not, but when I suggested he was at the office you were pretty quick to say he wasn't there. But if you don't know where he is how do you know where he isn't?'

'Because I was _just_ at the office looking for him and they told me he'd taken the day off,' Mokuba met his gaze. 'I didn't really want to be home alone, so I swung by there on my way back from Dr Charm's.'

'I thought you had your second appointment with her for the week,' Tristan frowned.

'Yeah, well... after you left yesterday I was a little... upset so Seto thought it was best I have an extra session with her. This morning was the only time she could fit me in. So last night he did the only thing he ever does with me anymore when he doesn't know how to handle the situation, he gave me enough sedatives to knock me out and put me to bed. Which meant I woke up late this morning and was pretty much out of the door before I'd finished getting dressed just so I made it to my appointment on time and even then it was only barely.'

'I see,' he gave a nervous cough, 'I'm sorry lus braysta, I shouldn't have done that to you. It's just...' he sighed, 'it's just these nightmares I've been having. Dr Charm said I needed to find some way of dealing with them and... clearing my head for a few days was one of those ways.'

'What are the nightmares about?'

'No, I'm not going to tell you that,' Tristan shook his head. 'I'm also not going to tell you what she thinks they mean.'

'Because it has something to do with my brother, right?' Mokuba frowned.

'Not exactly.'

'Not exactly?' He shook his head. 'Either they have something to do with him or they don't, how can they not exactly have something to do with him?'

'It's complicated and that's as much as you need to know lus braysta,' Tristan rolled his eyes as he pulled himself out of bed. 'Well, I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and try to smooth things over with my Mum. Do you think I can get away with doing it over the phone?'

'I'd rather you didn't leave me on my own to go do it in person, if that helps,' Mokuba's face filled with a weak smile.

'I really am sorry I upset you so much lus braysta, what do you say I make it up to you with a movie day? You can pick all the films and snacks and everything, promise.'

'It sounds like fun,' he nodded.

'It will be,' Tristan sighed, 'but first I really need to phone my Mum.'

* * *

'SK?' Duke's face filled with an uncertain smile. 'What brings you here?'

'Crovell,' he licked his lips nervously, 'or rather the fact that he's gone missing.'

'He's what?' Everything in Duke twitched with a combination of disbelief and anger. 'When?'

'Yesterday.'

'Then why am I only hearing about this now?' His hands balled into fists.

'Joey didn't tell me till late last night and I didn't think it would be right to disturb you then.'

'As far as Crovell's concerned, it's never too late to disturb me,' Duke folded his arms. 'So what happened exactly?'

'Well according to Joey, Covo took him to the Mistresses Chamber in the Temple of Set and he sort of... vanished.'

'Oh man,' Duke shook his head. 'What did Covo have to say about it?'

'I haven't spoken to him yet.'

'Why not?'

'Joey doesn't want him getting involved.'

'But he doesn't mind you talking to me? That's a first. I thought he thought the less time I spent around Crovell the better,' even Duke could hear the bitter tones in his own voice.

'Err... well... I... I think it has more to do with not letting Covo get involved. He's pretty mad at him.'

'I'm not surprised,' Duke's face filled with a serious expression. 'Look, I'll do what I can, but I'm not sure exactly what it is you're expecting of me.'

'Well you're more... _bonded_ to that kid than any of us, so I was wondering if you could... sense him or something.'

'It doesn't work like that,' he sighed, 'although at times like this I wish it did.'

'Well now that you know, I guess you can at least join the search party.' SK licked his lips again. 'I've already got Jay examining the chamber.'

'Sure,' he nodded, 'whatever it takes to get the little guy back, right?'

'Good,' he let out a short sharp breath. 'You wouldn't happen to know where Catilin is, would you? Only we could probably do with her help on this one too.'

'Oh you better believe I know where she is,' he rolled his eyes. 'But she's too busy kidnapping innocent people to help right now.'

'Huh?'

'It's nothing,' he waved his hand dismissively, 'she's just got this crazy idea into her head about Téa.'

'Wait, she's kidnapped Téa?'

'No, she's kidnapped someone who she thinks is Téa.'

'But…?'

'Look, it's not important,' Duke sighed again, 'at least not when Crovell's missing. And it's him we should be focused on right now.'


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

'The beach?' Piper frowned as they got off the bus and she had a chance to survey their surroundings. 'I don't get it, why'd you bring me here?'

'Because beaches are fun,' Catilin stretched her arms out into a childish pose. 'You can swim in the sea, build sand castles, dig giant holes, have tasty picnics, collect shells, fun, fun, fun.'

'I take it you went to the beach a lot as a kid,' Piper cocked an eyebrow at her.

'I wouldn't know, I don't remember much about my childhood,' she shrugged, 'not really, really. But I know beaches are fun; they have to be, right?'

'Err... I guess,' she shifted her gaze away, 'I wouldn't really know either; I've never been to the beach before.'

'Then we get to find out how fun it is together,' Catilin grinned at her, before pulling out a blue, tye-dye bikini from her shoulder bag. 'I hope it fits, I borrowed it from a friend of mine.'

'You... you want me to wear that?' Piper stared down at the bikini then up at her. 'Seriously?'

'You can't go play in the water if you're not wearing a swimsuit,' Catilin gave a serious little nod, 'not unless you want your clothes getting all wet.'

'Yeah, but... people will stare at me if I'm wearing something like that.'

'I think that's the point,' she tilted her head to one side, 'but staring's not a bad thing you know. You're pretty and people stare at pretty people no matter what they're wearing.'

'Wait, are you saying people stare at me anyway?' Piper glanced about edgily.

'Uh-huh, because you're pretty. So are you gonna put the swimsuit on or not?'

'Err... I guess so,' she hesitantly took it off Catilin, 'but... where am I supposed to put it on.'

'There's a girls' loo over there,' Catilin pointed. 'I've already got my suit on under my clothes, but I'll come with you if you like.'

'No... no that's okay, I think I can manage,' a weak smile pulled across Piper's face.

'Can I look after your bag for you then?'

'Sure,' she quickly passed it over, before making her way towards the girls' bathroom, 'I'll be back in a few.'

Catilin was tempted to root through the bag to find some kind of evidence which might indicate who Piper might really be, but she didn't. Duke and Ahna would have both told her off for it if she had; after all it wasn't nice to root through other people's things without permission. Instead she waited patiently for Piper's return, all the while trying to figure out exactly what it was the air was trying to tell her.

Piper didn't take long to return. She came back clutching the clothes she'd been wearing in front of her. Her cheeks were pinker than they had been before and her clear blue eyes flicked nervously from side to side as if she was trying to work out exactly who might be staring at her.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you blush,' Catilin blinked at her.

'I... I'm not blushing,' Piper's cheeks pinkened further, 'it's just... this is not what I would normally wear and I... I feel a little exposed.'

'You know you can always slip your t-shirt back on whilst we're not in the water if you like,' Catilin smiled sympathetically at her. 'I brought some snacks and stuff with me and I thought we could sit on the towels and talk for a little while. I'd like to get to know you.'

'Okay,' by this time Piper had already managed to get her t-shirt back on, 'I guess it would be nice to have a proper conversation with someone for once; I get a little tired of always talking about duels.'

'You only talk about duels?' Catilin found herself studying the way the air moved around her. 'Even when you're at home?'

'I... err... I guess you could say I was born to duel,' she shifted her gaze away, 'it's the only thing I've ever really known. And its fine, but... lately I've been wishing I had more than that. I want more than that, but...'

'But?'

'It doesn't matter,' Piper forced a smile onto her face, 'let's get down onto the beach, huh? I've not had a chance to eat yet this morning and the sound of some snacks is like music to my ears.'

* * *

Ahna had woken up in the belly of a shallow cave with a splitting headache. Within five minutes of waking she'd managed to work out her powers were down. It didn't take a genius to figure out her power binding mark was at full, so she didn't even bother to check under the stretch bandage she used to cover it. Not when there were more important things to worry about, like where the hell she was and what the hell she was doing there.

She left the cave and begun scaling down the scraggy, rocky hill she'd found herself on. Her main aim now was to find Covo. However mad she still was at him for losing her son, she still loved him. And besides, he had usable power. Right now she needed both him and his powers in order to figure out a way out of this mess and, with any luck, find her son in the process. Somewhere in her head logic told her if she'd ended up here then so had her son. So the only real question was; where the hell was this place to begin with?

At the bottom of the hill, she found herself in a small henge of blue stones. Curiously she began to wander round them, examining each well carved block with both her eyes and her hands. On one of the taller stones she discovered a curious message had been roughly scratched into it.

'I am. Reflection. I reflect.'

Frowning, she slowly made her way round to the other side of the stone to find a similar looking message there too.

'You are. Reflection. You reflect.' Ahna made a confused half laugh-like noise. 'Well that's clear,' she shook her head. 'So... why do I get the feeling it's important somehow?'

For about five minutes she found herself studying the scratched messages on both sides of the stone. She could feel something in her head absorbing the words and slowly turning them over. For some reason a part of her felt as if she would understand them if she just thought about it for long enough. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get her brain to make the connections she wanted. It was like some kind of mental block had come down and bound her usual powers of deduction.

Something about that final thought felt odd to her, but she just shook her head and chose to ignore it.

'I guess I should get moving,' she gave a heavy sigh as she finally pulled herself away from the stone, 'after all, Covo's not going to find himself.'

* * *

'Well I suppose kidnapping is only one step back from murder,' Jay's gaze narrowed on Duke for a moment, after hearing the explanation for Catilin's whereabouts, 'you know it takes a real man to handle a girl like her.'

'Well at least I have the opportunity to grow into a _real_ man, dead boy,' Duke found himself getting defensive. 'I guess that's why she likes me.'

'Oh don't flatter yourself, you do something funny to the air,' Jay turned his nose up at him, 'no doubt she finds you fascinating for it. It's just a pity you're really, really not or else I might be worried the two of you had a future together.'

'Watch it,' Duke took a step towards him, 'just because you're dead doesn't mean I can't mess up that pretty little face of yours.'

'You'd need powers for that one Duke and all you have is a hole.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Guys, please, could you leave the testosterone at the door and remember we're all on the same side here?' SK sighed and licked his lips.

'_Sorry_,' Jay rolled his eyes. 'I just hate seeing my Cat fooling around with someone so far beneath her.'

'She's not your Cat,' Duke glared at him.

'Well she's not _your_ Cat either, not yet anyway.'

'So you said something about Catilin believing this girl to be Téa,' SK gave an impatient sigh, clearly trying to change the subject.

'Yeah,' Duke tilted his head to one side, 'or at least a part of her at any rate. I think the word she used was onchasen. I'm not totally sure what that means, but from what I understand it's like some kind of astral projection.'

'And what do you think?'

'Well there is definitely something _odd_ about the girl and she did show up pretty much out of nowhere about three months ago. On top of that she is a blue-eyed brunette just like Téa is. I wouldn't say there was any more of a resemblance there, which makes me doubt it's her, but Catilin's argument about how onchasen don't have to look like their originators was pretty compelling. So, honestly, I'm not sure what to think.'

'Well I guess it's a tough one,' Jay gave a heavy sigh, 'Cat hates feeling useless, especially when it comes to her friends so she can get pretty carried away when she thinks she can help them. But at the same time she has pretty good instincts for things like this, so you just have to trust she won't get herself into too much trouble doing it.'

'Yeah, I guess,' Duke pressed his lips together and glanced around the chamber they were in. 'So where's Joey anyway?'

'He'll be along later,' Jay shrugged, 'Mai had an appointment or something this morning.'

'So it's just us then.'

'Looks like,' he folded his arms. 'Why, you got a problem with that?'

'No just wondering,' Duke tilted his head to one side. 'So Joey must be pretty damn pissed at Covo if him and Ahna aren't here.'

'Yeah, well I don't care whether or not Covo's around, but I wish Ahna was here,' Jay pulled a face. 'I know with her around my powers would be down, but she is Crovell's mother and I'm sure she's probably going out of her mind about now.'

'So then why isn't she here?'

'SK doesn't like the idea of being the only one with power, just in case something goes wrong.'

'I guess that makes sense,' Duke swept some of his hair back from his face. 'So have either of you tried bringing the wall paintings out yet?'

'No, boss man said we should wait for Joey.'

'Boss man?'

'Ignore him; he's just being childish, as per usual,' SK licked his lips as he folded his arms.

'Yeah, I'm the childish one,' Jay rolled his eyes. 'You're the one who's too afraid to be the only one with power in the room.'

'I'm not afraid,' he licked his lips again, 'I just don't think it's a very good idea.'

'Whatever,' Jay turned his attention back to the wall he'd been studying, 'let's fine tooth comb this place, shall we? It's not like we have anything better to do.'


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Tristan gave a heavy sigh as he replaced the receiver. His Mum hadn't been angry at him for forgetting who she was. In fact she was more than understanding. _Too_ understanding. It made Tristan feel even guiltier for accusing her of kidnapping him than he already did. Still at least he hadn't completely ruined the relationship he had with his parents; if only the L-bomb he'd dropped Kaiba's way would be so easily fixed.

'You forgot your own mother?'

The sound of Joey's voice made Tristan half jump out of his skin. He turned to see his old friend casually leaning against the nearby wall, watching him.

'You eavesdrop on other people's conversations?'

'I didn't think it was right to interrupt,' he lowered his head and smirked slightly, 'not when you were grovelling for forgiveness.'

'I wasn't grovelling.'

'Sure you were,' Joey flicked his gaze back up towards him. 'So is your boyfriend around?'

'He's not my boyfriend,' Tristan shifted his gaze away.

'No, but you wish he was, right? And here was me thinking you had better taste.'

'Shut up Joey, I'm really not in the mood right now.'

'Whatever,' Joey rolled his eyes. 'He around or not.'

'Not. Why?'

'Crovell's gone missing.'

'He's what?' Tristan felt a small jolt of shock run through him.

'He's gone missing.'

'When?'

'Yesterday,' Joey's face took on a serious but sad expression. 'Jay and SK are already on it. I'm on my way to join them now, but I need someone to look after Mai for a while.'

'Why can't you take her with you?'

'She's under enough stress as it is,' he turned his gaze away, 'I'd rather keep her out of it.'

'Wait; did you come here to ask Seto to babysit your girlfriend?' Tristan cocked an eyebrow at him.

'He babysits you, doesn't he?'

'You're on thin ice as it is Joey, what makes you think a joke like that will do you any favours?'

'Who said I was joking?' Joey cocked his head slightly. 'So is Mokuba around then?'

'Wait, I tell you Seto's not in and you skip straight to Mokuba? What am I not good enough to babysit your girlfriend or something?'

'Give me a break, Mokuba's not likely to forget who my girlfriend is.'

'Yeah, but I'm the one carrying a part of your daughter or had you forgotten?' Tristan gritted his teeth.

'So?'

'So that means I'm connected to Mai right now. The more connected I am to something the longer it takes me to forget what that something is.'

'As comforting as I'm sure those words are to you, they lacked the _won't forget her at all_ line which is pretty important to me right now. I'm not taking any chances with her.'

'Well maybe me and Mokuba have better things to do today than babysit your girlfriend, you ever think of that? Or don't people with memory problems get to have a life anymore?'

'Wow you are so touchy these days,' Joey shot him a look, 'is it just because you're gay or is your boyfriend not putting out?'

'I thought I told you to shut up about that,' Tristan swung at him, but Joey managed to dodge it. 'What the hell are you doing here anyway?'

'I need someone to look after Mai for me,' Joey gave a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes, 'I was wondering if you and Mokuba wouldn't mind doing it.'

'And you thought the best way to get me to cooperate was to piss me off?' Tristan glared at him.

'So you remember me insulting you, but you don't remember me already asking about someone looking after Mai?' Joey cocked an eyebrow at him.

'What?'

'It doesn't matter,' Joey shook his head, 'could you and Mokuba please look after Mai for me?'

'So that you can...?'

'Look for Crovell,' Joey stretched out every single word, 'he's gone missing.'

'Crovell's missing?' Tristan couldn't help but feel more than a little concerned. 'I guess with all the stress Mai's been under lately it's probably best to keep her out of it. So if you need us to look after her...'

'Yeah, that would be good,' Joey's face filled with a strange look. 'I left her downstairs in one of those little unnecessary extra rooms you have.'

'As if the Southern Palace doesn't have a million of its own,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Is Mai going to be okay with being left here?'

'Yeah, she'll be fine with it; it was kind of her idea,' he gave an edgy half laugh. 'I think she wanted to be close to her daughter's Id,' almost without warning Joey's face filled with a strangely sorrowful look. 'You know, it's weird, right now Tristan you're closer to my daughter than I could ever be. And the scary thing is; I'd do anything to have that chance.'

* * *

'Don't look now, but I think those guys are checking us out,' Catilin giggled as the same group of teens passed by for the third time in fifteen minutes.

'I wish they wouldn't,' Piper shifted uncomfortably, 'I don't like the thought of people staring at me like that.'

'Why not?' Catilin blinked at her. 'I thought all cute girls liked to be stared at once in a while.'

'Didn't we establish earlier that I was an exception to that rule,' Piper shot her a look, 'or wasn't the t-shirt going back on a big enough clue for you,' she gave a heavy sigh.

'You still didn't tell me why you don't like it.'

'Because...' she hesitated, before bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. 'Promise you won't tell anyone?'

'Promise, promise,' Catilin grinned, 'I love secrets and secrets between friends are the best.'

'Err... right,' a weak smile filled her face.

'So what's your secret Piper?'

'Well, you see there's... there's kind of this guy I like,' a weird smile pulled at the corner of her lips, 'and I don't like the thought of anyone staring at me if it isn't him.'

'Does this guy know you like him?' Catilin tilted her head to one side.

'No,' she lowered her gaze, 'he doesn't even know I exist.'

'Why not?'

'Because my keeper...' Piper hesitated again.

'Your keeper?' Catilin jumped on the words; she'd been waiting for something like this. 'What do you mean by keeper?'

'I guess I shouldn't have said that,' she pressed her lips together.

'Piper, what did you mean by keeper?'

'I mean... I mean the person who keeps me around, because they need me.'

'Need you how?'

'It's complicated,' Piper averted her gaze.

'I like complicated,' Catilin grinned at her.

'Yeah,' Piper met her gaze, 'I think you do, but... my keeper would be mad if I told you too much.'

'Then just tell me little bits,' Catilin shrugged, 'like why your keeper wouldn't want this boy you like knowing you exist?'

'Because my keeper likes him too or at least I'm pretty sure they do,' she sighed, 'my feelings for him had to come from somewhere, right?'

'You say that like you and your keeper are the same person or something,' Catilin pulled herself onto her knees.

'Yeah, I did, didn't I?'

'So... you're really only three months old then?'

'What?' Piper blinked at her.

'The air around you moves in a weird way,' Catilin made her fingers dance in the air, 'it tells me you're new and old at the same time. Piper is new,' she twiddled the fingers on her right hand, 'Piper's keeper is old,' she twiddled the fingers on her left.

'Yeah, but... what makes you so sure I'm only three months old?'

'Because that's when you first showed up.'

'No, that's when you first became aware of me. I could have been around for longer.'

'The air says differently,' Catilin shook her head, 'in the three months since you first appeared, the air has slowly danced in changing circles. That means you were new when I first saw you and you're three months old now.'

'Uh...' Piper gawked at her, 'my keeper wasn't lying when they said I should be careful of you. I just thought they was making a big deal out of nothing, or tantruming because I'm not supposed to have friends. But I guess... you are a dangerous person for me to know.'

'Does that mean you're going to leave now?' Catilin couldn't help but feel disappointed.

For a few long moments Piper was silent. During the silence she turned her attention towards her feet, which were twiddling against each other in a fidgety manner. It was clear she was divided about something; either that or she was communicating with her keeper somehow. Both of which were very likely possibilities as far as Catilin was concerned.

'I... I think I want to stay,' Piper's blue eyes flicked up to meet with Catilin's again. 'My keeper doesn't think it's a good idea, but... it's what I want and I never get to do what I want to do.'

'Are... are you sure, because... because there are some questions I want to ask you and I don't think your keeper will be very happy about them.'

'So long as I protect my keeper's identity, then there's no problem,' Piper shrugged. 'I'm tired of being used for someone else's benefit. I want a life of my own. I want friends of my own. And friends are supposed to get to know each other, aren't they?'

'Uh-huh, they are,' Catilin grinned at her again, 'and I promise not to press anything you're not allowed to answer, if you're honest about as much as you can be.'

'I promise.'

'Yay,' Catilin clapped, 'I get to be quiz master.'

'This is hardly a quiz Catilin,' Piper giggled nervously.

'I know, but... it's so much more fun thinking about it that way.'


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

'Where are Ahna and Covo?' Joey glanced curiously around the chamber the second he entered.

'What do you mean,' SK's tongue glanced over his lips, 'they're back at the Southern Palace, aren't they?'

'If that's where they were, do you really think I would have asked?'

'He's got a point there SK,' Jay smirked.

'We've not seen them,' Duke shook his head.

'Great,' Joey gave a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes, 'more names to add to our missing persons list.'

'Don't you think you're jumping the gun a bit?'

'Duke, Crovell is missing and his mother is nowhere to be found; what am I supposed to think?'

'Well maybe they're off looking for Crovell somewhere else.'

'But... this is where their note said they would be,' Joey's voice was low and tinged with worry.

'What?' Duke frowned.

'I said they would have left a note,' he shifted his gaze away.

'I...' Duke went to say something, hesitated, then sighed heavily. 'Not necessarily; not if they didn't think anyone would be looking for them.'

'Look, I'm the one in charge here and until someone can prove otherwise, I'm going to count them as missing. Got it?'

'Sure, whatever.'

'Well we've checked this chamber from top to bottom,' Jay folded his arms, 'and I've come up with nothing. Can we please bring those paintings out now?'

'No,' Joey's voice was as firm as it was tight.

'Why not?'

'Because I haven't examined this chamber for myself yet.'

'What, you think you're gonna be able to come up with something I didn't?'

'I am the First's host, aren't I?'

'And that makes a difference because?'

'Don't question me Jay.'

Jay rolled his eyes and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

'Are you looking to completely lose your powers or something?' Joey glared at him. 'Because that's exactly the way you're heading right now.'

'Sorry,' Jay shifted his gaze away, 'I guess I'm just feeling a little impatient. If you feel you need to examine the chamber for yourself, then I guess I've no choice but to wait until you've done so, right?'

'Exactly.'

* * *

Téa looked so quiet and peaceful; it was hard to imagine this wasn't just some ordinary sleep she'd wake up from sooner rather than later. Yugi leant in towards her, studying every single one of her features for some sign she was about to wake up. Everything in him prayed today would be the day she'd open her eyes and smile and laugh and wonder why everyone had been so concerned about her. Then she'd remember what he'd done to her and she would hate him, but that would be okay. Yugi deserved her hatred; he wanted it... needed it. Her hatred would mean she was awake and all he wanted was for her to be awake.

'It'll be okay Yugi,' the image of the Pharaoh appeared beside him.

'You always say that,' he sighed and shook his head. 'Next you're going to tell me to stop being so hard on myself. Well don't bother. We both know it's what I deserve.'

'That's not true.'

'Yes it is. I'm a horrible person.'

'No you're not.'

'How can you say that after what I did?'

'Must we go through this again?' The Pharaoh gave a heavy sigh. 'Day after day it's the same argument. I feel like we're stuck on a loop. You've got to get over this Yugi; you've got to see you're not the evil person you think you are.'

'Aren't I?'

'No.'

'Then why isn't Téa awake? Why is she still suffering? If I were really good, then she would be awake.'

'That's not true.'

'Yes it is.'

'I'm not doing this with you again.'

'Then don't,' Yugi carefully removed the Millennium Puzzle from his round neck.

'What are you doing?'

'I'm an evil person. I not worthy of all the things this puzzle has granted to me, so I'm giving it up,' he gently placed the chain around Téa's neck. 'And who knows, it might help.'

'But Yugi…'

'No buts Yoam, this is goodbye.'

* * *

'Don't you guys do anything, other than laze about watching movies?' Mai laughed as Mokuba began rooting through his DVD collection for yet another film for them to watch.

'I like watching films, they take my mind off things without making me concentrate too hard,' Mokuba shrugged. 'Besides, it's one of the few things we can do without Tristan forgetting how to do it halfway through.'

'Thanks lus braysta,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'that doesn't make me sound even remotely pathetic.'

'You know I've been meaning to ask you about that?' Mai pressed her lips together.

'You've been meaning to ask about my memory problems?' Tristan frowned.

'No, about you calling Mokuba your little brother.'

'I believe I called him lus braysta, not little brother.'

'Yeah, but I know a little bit of Etean and lus braysta means little brother,' Mai tilted her head to one side, 'and I was wondering if you call him that because of our Win connection.'

For a few moments there was complete and utter silence as Mokuba and Tristan exchanged odd looks with each other. Mai felt herself squirm more than a little; she hadn't talked much with the others about what it was like to be a Win Part, because most of the time she didn't like to think too much about it. After all, most of her Win powers were passive and sensory in nature, which probably meant she felt her connection to the others more actively than they did, but...

'I know... I know it's an odd thing to ask out of nowhere,' Mai shifted her gaze to one side, 'but... Well, we are all connected as Win Parts. I mean, we're four separate people containing different parts of the same person so... I just wondered...'

'Yeah, I do,' Tristan cut her off and rested his head on the couch behind him. 'I know I think of you and Catilin like being my sisters too,' he turned his gaze towards her, 'but only because there's no other way of tangibly expressing this connection we have.'

'So I'm not the only one then,' Mai let out a heavy sigh.

'No, you're not,' Mokuba shot her a weak smile, 'but I guess I haven't really spent as much time thinking about it as you guys have.'

'You know I bet if the three of us closed our eyes and concentrated we would know exactly where Catilin was and what she was doing right now,' Tristan smirked. 'Not that I would want to personally; I might think of her as a sister, but I still can't stand that girl.'

'You know she's really not so bad when you get used to her,' an affectionate smile pulled at Mai's lips. 'She's just in a world of her own most of the time.'

'She's a highly intelligent murderer who acts like an insane four year old,' Tristan shook his head, 'I just don't get everybody's fascination with her. Or their ability to forget what she's actually capable of.'

'It's not that we forget, it's just...' Mai cut herself off and shook her head, 'it's hard to explain,' she sighed, 'so... what film's up next?'

'I didn't think you wanted to watch another film?' Mokuba cocked an eyebrow at her.

'I never said I didn't want to watch another film,' she laughed, 'I just wanted to know whether or not you did anything else.'

'Okay, any preferences?'

'Nothing too gory.'

'Oh believe me you don't have to worry about that,' Mokuba's whole body tensed, 'I think I'm off gore for life.'

'Uh... sorry,' Mai winced, instantly feeling as though she should have known better, 'I guess I'm so used to Joey's taste in films.'

'Joey doesn't have a taste in films,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'and do me a favour lus braysta, nothing with subtitles either.'

'Still off those?' Mokuba expression relaxed into one of concern.

'Unfortunately,' he rolled his eyes.

'Temporarily off subtitled films?' Mai rolled the words around for a moment. 'Does that mean you don't know how to read right now?'

'That's far too simply a way of looking at it,' he tugged hard at the base of his sleeves and balled them into his fists. 'I know how to read, I just can't access those memories right now.'

'Is that actually how it works or is that how you look at it?' Mai found herself studying him.

'It's what the doctors tell me is actually going on,' Tristan gave a heavy sigh. 'Their tests definitely detected damage of some sort, but they don't know what caused it or quite where it is or why it works the way it does. The best they can tell me is that it's like I have several lose connections between the different parts of my brain stopping them from communicating properly.'

'I see,' Mai lowered her gaze, 'is there anything they can do about it?'

'Honestly, they don't know. It might improve with time, it might get worse, it might just stay exactly as it is. Whatever the case I have to learn to live with it, so it's pretty fortunate my counsellor has some experience working with people with head trauma, not a lot because it's not her specialty, but Dr Charm knows me anyway, so...' he averted his gaze.

'It sounds like you're pretty accepting of the situation.'

'I am now, but it's taken me a while to get here,' he gave a weird half laugh, 'the problem now is Seto. He's obsessed with the idea of me _getting better_ and that really doesn't help. Of course I'm not saying if someone waved a magic wand in front of me to make it all go away I wouldn't jump at the chance; the gods only know there are times when it really, seriously pisses me off, but... I really don't see that happening, so what can I do?'


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

'So,' Piper glanced towards her, 'is this a one way thing or do I get to ask you questions too?'

'You want to ask me questions?' Catilin blinked at her.

'Well, it's only fair, right? You're getting to know things about me so I should get to know things about you too.'

'I guess you're right,' she grinned, 'okay then, for every question I ask you, you get to ask me one too.'

'Alright, but since you're the one who started this you should get to go first.'

'Uh-huh,' Catilin nodded, 'and I wanna start with the O.'

'The O?' Piper frowned.

'You call yourself Piper O; I wanna know what the O stands for.'

'Oh I see,' Piper pressed her lips together and shifted her gaze to one side, 'it stands for Ohpayo.'

'Not Onchasen?' Catilin felt a little disappointed.

'No...' there was a curious tone to her voice as she dragged the word out, 'Ohpayo suited me better. And isn't it my turn to ask the questions now?'

'Uh... okay, what do you wanna know?'

'Um...' Piper tilted her head to one side in thought, 'what were your parents like?'

'Uh... um...' Catilin shifted her gaze away, 'I don't really remember a whole lot about them. I... I know they were afraid of me; that they made me go to horrid doctors and crammed me full of medicine which made my head feel like cotton wool. But... I don't really remember a whole lot about them.'

'I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you.'

'You didn't,' she shook her head, 'and it's my turn again now. Do you know Yugi Moto?'

'As in have I heard of him or do I know him personally?'

'Both.'

'My keeper knows him, but I've never met him myself.'

'Do you want to meet him?'

'That's another question, isn't it?' Piper smirked, 'I thought it was my turn now.'

'Uh, yeah it is, sorry. So what you wanna know now?'

'I'm not sure,' she gave a nervous laugh, 'I have so many thoughts in my head, but... I want to know what it's like to be... human, to have a family and friends. To have a life. To live. And all my questions are about that, but... they all sound really dumb in my head.'

'It's okay, sometimes the questions in my head sound pretty dumb too,' Catilin shot her a sympathetic smile. 'If you like I can ask all my questions first and maybe you'll get some idea about how to ask yours.'

'Okay,' Piper nodded.

'So... why did your keeper create you? Was it just to duel?'

'In a way, yeah it was. They wanted to... _escape_ and this felt like the best way to do it.'

'Escape from what?'

'A lot of things I can't go into,' Piper sighed, 'not without giving away who they are and I can't do that, okay?'

'Even if I think I know?'

'Especially if you think you know. I'm afraid... I'm afraid they'll try to get rid of me if I do.'

'And you don't want to go, do you,' Catilin tilted her head in thought, 'because you're a person too.'

'Exactly. But my keeper just doesn't seem to understand that. To them I'm just this tool they can use whenever they want to and there's nothing I can do about it.'

'Do you ever... do you ever feel like it's a choice between them existing and you existing,' Catilin didn't really want to ask the question, but now felt like the only time she could.

'Yes and no,' her eyes flicked from side to side, 'I'm sure there's a way we can both continue to exist, but... right now I'm not sure how.'

'I can help you,' a sympathetic smile filled her face, 'you may not believe this, but I'm an expert in all kinds of things. And this is one of the things I'm an expert in.'

'Really?' Piper cocked an eyebrow at her.

'Uh-huh. I'm sure I could find a way to help you so you could both exist. Wouldn't you like that?'

'Well... obviously, but... I'm really not sure how you could manage something like that.'

'And then you and your keeper can both have lives and everybody will be happy,' Catilin grinned.

'I have to admit that is tempting, but... I'm not sure my keeper will go for it. It might make things a little too... complicated.'

'I don't see how,' she shook her head, 'onchasen can have completely separate lives from their creators all the time, even with both awake at the same time.'

'Uh...' Piper's face fell for a moment, before she forced a smile back into place and lowered her gaze, 'I see.'

'Is something wrong Piper?' Catilin frowned at her. 'Doesn't you keeper want to wake up?'

For a few long moments Piper was silent. Her face pulled through a series of thoughtful expressions, before she finally gave a heavy sigh and shook her head.

'I guess you could say it's complicated,' she met Catilin's gaze.

'Mm, these situations always are,' she pressed her lips together. 'Maybe I should give you and your keeper some time to talk it over now, okay Piper?'

'Okay, but... only if you go back to Domino without me.'

'Why?'

'Because after the conversation we're about to have, I'm pretty sure my keeper won't want me to go back with you.'

'Okay,' she gave an understanding nod, 'I'll see you later.'

'I sure hope so.'

* * *

Covo was tired and hungry and lost. He'd been walking around for what felt like hours with no luck and the only thing which could make the situation any more depressing for him was if it was about to start raining again. Almost as soon as he had the thought he regretted it and seconds later the skies opened up. Heavy, tear-like rain pounded down around him, soaking him.

'Great, just great,' he rolled his eyes, 'as if all that rain last night wasn't bad enough.'

His eyes scanned the horizon for some kind of shelter he could hide under until the latest storm passed. There was nothing obvious in sight, so he just kept pressing forward in the direction he was walking in.

'I sure hope Ahna's having better luck than me,' he sighed. 'I'd hate to think of her out in this rain; now if only I could get out of it.'

* * *

'The Master was most entertained at your decision,' the redhead clapped her hands together, 'he'll be here soon to congratulate you.'

'You can talk to the Master when he's not around,' she tilted her head to one side in thought.

'It's one of the abilities I was designed with.'

'He really did make you the perfect one to control this game of his, didn't he?' She found herself studying the redhead. 'I'm sorry...'

'I'm not,' the redhead cut her off, 'this way I get all of the fun and none of the responsibility. Trust me; I am not disappointed with the way this is turning out.'

'Once the game is over will the Master have any further use for you?'

'Only the Master knows that and either way it does not bother me. I am but a dream, my existence is fleeting from the start.'

'Just like mortality,' she turned her gaze back to the distant horizon. 'So when do the other players start?'

'Soon.'

'How soon?'

'Don't tell me you're bored already,' the redhead laughed, 'you're so like the Master; he's itching for this to start too. But we need at least one of each pair to be in place first; we don't have that yet.'

'That could take a while,' she pouted, 'I want the game to start now.'

'I'm sorry, but those are the rules and even the Master can't change them.'

'Fine,' she gave a heavy sigh.

'You should smile a little more,' the redhead draped herself over her shoulders, 'you're pretty when you smile. And besides, there's no reason not to smile. The Master is pleased with you and the players already in the game are still entertaining to watch, aren't they?'

'You're right, they are,' she tilted her head to one side. 'Can we go in for a closer look?'

'Of course, but we should wait for the Master to get here first,' the redhead laughed lightly, 'after all, he enjoys being entertained just as much as we do.'


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Piper took herself to a secluded area of the beach and waited.

'You do realise she thinks your Téa's onchasen, right?' Her keeper appeared beside her.

'I know,' she folded her arms, 'better that than the truth, right? I mean, it's not like Téa's conscious right now, so she can't disprove her little theory, so no harm done, right?'

'Wrong. Nobody knows if and when Téa's going to wake up and if she sees you walking around without a care in the world whilst Téa is unconscious at some point it's going to become an issue.'

'So I find somewhere else to duel,' she shrugged causally, 'somewhere outside of Domino maybe; problem solved, right?'

'No, that's not going to cut it. I think the best thing to do now is put an end to it.'

'But that's not fair,' her eyes went wide with fear, 'I didn't give your secret away and there are plenty of things we can do to keep this going, so...?'

'No, this can't go on; I have to put an end to it now before anyone works out what's going on. We got really lucky today, but Catilin's not as stupid as she looks; she will figure out the truth eventually.'

'So that's it? You're just going to cast me off like yesterday's news?' She gritted her teeth as angry tears began to burn in her eyes. 'You really think I'm going to just let you do that?'

'It's not as though you can really stop me.'

'Oh, you'd better believe I can,' a mixture of fear and anger start to grow inside of her, 'you were warned about the consequences of creating me and now you will have to face them. I will not let you end my existence like this and if you even try I swear I will make you pay.'

'Your threats don't worry me Piper; you don't have as much control over this situation as you think you do.'

'No, no you're wrong,' tears rolled down her cheeks as she held her ground, 'I have more than you realise and if you try to take everything from me then... then I _will_ take everything from you.'

'Is that supposed to be a threat?'

'No,' her lower lip trembled as she held her keeper's gaze, 'it's a promise.'

* * *

'I got your note Duke,' Catilin grinned as she entered the chamber, 'but you could have called me you know.'

'As much as he disapproved of what you were doing, he didn't want to interrupt your kidnapping,' Jay smirked. 'I guess deep down he's just as wicked as you are.'

'Duke's not wicked,' she giggled and shook her head, 'don't be so silly Jay.'

'So, did you find out what you wanted?' Duke shot her a wary smile.

'Uh-huh, it's definitely her.'

'Definitely who?' Joey cocked a curious eyebrow.

'It's a surprise,' Catilin clapped her hands together, 'but a good one; where everything gets back to normal real soon and everyone is happy.'

'Uh... okay,' he blinked at her.

'Any sign of Crovell yet hiet braysta?'

'No,' Joey lowered his gaze, 'and I have reason to suspect Covo and Ahna are missing now too.'

'Huh... but... how?' Catilin's eyes brimmed with tears. 'Why didn't anyone call me?'

'It's my fault,' Duke shot her an apologetic look, 'I figured you wouldn't be able to repeat your little _adventure_ twice, so...'

'Uh... okay, but...' Catilin lowered her gaze, 'Covo, Ahna and Crovell are missing, nothing compares to that. You should have called me.'

'I'm sorry; I'll remember that for next time.'

'Next time?' She blinked at him. 'You really think there's gonna be a next time?'

'Oh who are you kidding,' SK's tongue skated across his lips, 'there's always a next time.'

'Uh... yeah, you're right, there is,' Catilin giggled. 'You know the air in this room is really playful, I think it's waiting for us to do something.'

'Something like what?' Joey shot her a curious look.

'Something like bring the paintings out, I think,' she placed a hand against one of the walls. 'It's all buzzy and jumpy and swirly and hummy in here. It's waiting for something to happen.'

'Well that may be true, but I'm not ready to bring them out yet,' Joey gritted his teeth.

'The Chaosen really bother you, huh hiet braysta?'

'That's not it.'

'Then what is it? Why don't you want to bring them out?'

'I never said I didn't want to, I just want to finish my search first.'

'You know the air gets all bizzy when you lie to me hiet braysta,' Catilin pulled a face, 'you don't want to bring the paintings out.'

'I told you, that's not it.'

'Don't you know the rhyme for it? Cuz I know it. I know it by heart. A light born from shadows, a...' without warning her words became muffled by his hand over her mouth.

'I told you Cat, I'm not afraid of the Chaosen or in denial about Crovell or whatever else it is you think I am right now. I'm just not ready to bring the paintings out yet.'

'Why not?' Catilin met his gaze as she pulled his hand away from his mouth. 'The real reason hiet braysta; I'll know if it's not.'

'It's because...' he pulled a face. 'It's because I think that's what happened to Covo and Ahna,' he shifted his gaze away. 'I didn't want to tell you guys before, but they did leave a note. I think they must have written it last night.'

'I'm sorry, what?' Duke stared at him. 'You lied to us? Why would you lie to us?'

'Because I... because I was hoping I was wrong. I was hoping they would just turn up before I had to say anything,' Joey's whole body tensed. 'I've been worried about it ever since I got here and the more I think about it, the more I'm certain I become that they disappeared the same way Crovell did.'

'It would have been nice if you could have told us that sooner,' SK licked his lips. '

'I'm sorry; this is a stressful situation, I'm not thinking clearly. And like I said just now, I was hoping I was wrong about this.'

'But you don't think you are, do you?' Catilin took a step towards him.

'No, I don't think I am and neither does the First. That's why... that's why we have to wait... wait until I'm absolutely certain nothing will happen to any of us if we bring the paintings out. I just... too much of my family is missing as it is; right now I couldn't deal with losing anyone else.'

* * *

'Wake up,' Yugi rested his head on Téa's stomach and listened to the gentle sound of her breathing. 'Please wake up. I miss you,' tears began to roll down his cheeks. 'I'm sorry Téa, I'm so sorry. If I could take it back I would. I'd give anything for you to wake up. Even if you hate me. Even if you wish I was dead, I just want you back Téa; I just want you to wake up,' he squeezed his eyes shut. 'Téa I became so evil and I'm frightened. I'm frightened that the evil will come back. That I'll hurt people again. I don't want to be like that Téa. I never want to be like that again. Please. You have to come back. You have to stop me. Stop the evil inside of me. Please.'

He buried his face into her bed clothes and quietly began to cry. This wasn't the first time in the last three months he'd pored his heart out to her like this. But without the presence of the Pharaoh looking over his shoulder, this was the first time he felt as though he truly meant it.

'Please wake up Téa,' he sobbed. 'Please.'

* * *

'How many films is that now?' Mai was starting to feel incredibly lazy.

'Three,' Mokuba took the DVD out of the machine, 'you want to watch another?'

'Eugh,' she groaned, 'I think I'll pass.'

'But we haven't watched the one with that detective guy on the train yet,' Tristan shot her a pleading look.

'That's the one we were just watching,' Mai couldn't help but laugh.

'We were?'

'Weren't you paying attention?'

'Of course I was, I... just don't remember watching it.'

'What is it with you and that film?' Mokuba shook his head. 'Every time we watch it, you forget about it almost straight away.'

'Well I guess it must not leave an impression on me,' Tristan shrugged. 'Well if we're not going to watch another film, how about some food? I'm starved.'

'Now you're talking my language,' Mai grinned. 'My appetites been worse than Joey's since I became pregnant.'

'Impossible,' Tristan smirked, 'no one can have a worse appetite than Joey.'

'Yeah, but I am carrying his kid.'

'Good point,' he laughed as he jumped to his feet. 'You guys stay here, I'll be right back with enough food to feed an army.' And with that he left the room.

'So... just between you and me... how bad is his memory exactly?' Mai turned her attention to Mokuba almost as soon as he'd left.

'It varies,' Mokuba pressed his lips together, 'and he is getting better at hiding it too. Sometimes I can't tell if he's acting a certain way because he's forgotten something or because he's just being him. I mean, with everything he's been through, he can be pretty weird at the best of times.'

'So do you side with him or your brother?'

'About what?'

'Finding a cure for it. I mean, it's not like he actually hit his head or had a stroke or... whatever; having your soul card destroyed isn't a normal injury, so maybe there is a cure for it out there somewhere, we just have to think outside the box.'

'Honestly, I don't know,' Mokuba lowered his gaze. 'I want there to be a cure, obviously, but I also want Tristan to be happy again. Win Part connection or not, he's like a brother to me.'

'Yeah, I can see you two are pretty close,' a strange smile tugged at Mai's lips.

'I think it drives Seto a little crazy sometimes,' Mokuba smirked, 'me and Tristan get to spend all this time together and have this whole brotherhood thing going on which doesn't involve him.'

'Are you saying you think Kaiba is jealous of yours and Tristan's friendship?' Mai laughed.

'I'm not sure if jealous is the right word, exactly, but I'm pretty sure he feels left out.'

'Do you think that's why he's so obsessed over finding a cure for Tristan?'

'I think there are a lot of reasons Seto is obsessed with finding a cure and I'm not about to guess at which one is right.'


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

With his arms weighed down with as much snack food as he could carry, Tristan headed out into the hallway. He'd almost made it back to the room the other two were in when he heard someone entering the mansion via the front door.

'Seto is that you?'

There was no reply. Instead he heard someone quickly making their way up to the first floor and into their room. A heavy sigh escaped him as he realised his early fears had probably just been confirmed; things were going to be awkward and weird now and it was all his fault.

'Was that Seto?' Mokuba pulled himself out into the hallway.

'Yeah, yeah I think it was,' Tristan lowered his gaze, 'who else would shun me like that?'

'I... I'm sure he's not shunning you,' Mokuba's face filled with a weak smile, 'maybe he's just...' he was clearly struggling to find some way of completing his sentence. 'Well he's been out all day doing... who knows what, so...'

'He hates me,' Tristan gave another heavy sigh, 'he hates me because I've made everything awkward between us now. I can't believe I ruined everything; I'm such an idiot.'

'You're not an idiot and I'm sure he doesn't hate you,' there was a strange level of certainty to Mokuba's voice. 'Look, I can go talk to him if you like and I bet you anything we'll just find out that this is him being him. You know as well as I do he can just be moody and reclusive sometimes. I'm sure that's all it is.'

'Like him being who knows where all day,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'are you seriously telling me that was him just being moody and reclusive and had nothing to do with me being the biggest idiot in the world last night?'

'Yeah, that's exactly what I'm telling you,' Mokuba forced a laugh. 'Now you get back in there and keep Mai company whilst I go talk to my brother.'

'Okay lus braysta, but if you find out that he hates me now...'

'He doesn't hate you now; he could never hate you.'

'Maybe not, but that doesn't mean things won't be awkward from now on and in some ways that's so much worse.'

'You're such a drama queen sometimes,' Mokuba rolled his eyes, 'everything will be fine, you'll see.'

Without saying anything else, Mokuba took off in the direction of the stairs. For a few long moments Tristan just watched him leave as everything in him prayed Mokuba was right somehow. Then he gave yet another heavy sigh, before making his way back into the room Mai was in. He forced a smile onto his face and dumped his bounty of food on the coffee table.

'You weren't kidding about feeding an army then?' Mai laughed.

'I never joke when it comes to food,' he tried to pull his smile into a more natural one as his eyes glanced towards the door.

'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine, it's just…' he shook his head. 'It doesn't matter.'

'You know, if it's not convenient for me to be here anymore, you could always take me back to Joey.'

'Huh?' Tristan shot her a look.

'Well, I would like something to eat first, but... I feel like I need to get back to Joey now. I want to know how the search for Crovell is going.'

'I'm sorry if I'm making you feel like we don't want you here all of a sudden Mai, you're welcome to stay as long as you need; you know that right?'

'Yeah, I know, but... I just get this feeling I should be helping with the search. Maybe it's just all the lazing about we've been doing making me feel guilty or... maybe it's something else, but... I just get this feeling like I need to help them.'

'Okay, I understand,' Tristan lowered his head slightly, 'but only if we both get to eat something first and only if I get to escort you there. I know you can Jump, but... I don't want to make Joey think I can't look after you. I get this really weird feeling like he thinks I'm totally inept now or something.'

'He doesn't think that, but I would appreciate the company back, if only because I'm still not very good at this whole Jumping thing.'

'So it's settled then, we eat and then we go to the Temple of Set.'

* * *

Mokuba took a deep breath in and gentle knocked on the door to his brother's room. There was no reply. He tried again a little louder this time, but still nothing. For half a second he couldn't help but wonder if maybe Tristan was right and this situation had become too awkward for Kaiba, but he quickly battered those thoughts away. Mokuba was certain, now more than ever, that his brother had a strong connection to Tristan and even if he didn't share Tristan's feelings there was no way he would let something like this ruin what they had.

With that in mind, he opened the door and entered his brother's room.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah,' Kaiba sighed as he slowly flicked his way through the deck of cards he was holding, 'I was just thinking.'

'About what?'

'Nothing.'

'This isn't...' Mokuba hesitated.

'This isn't what?' Kaiba glanced towards him.

'Tristan's a little worried he... offended you somehow.

Kaiba went to say something, but stopped. Instead he gave a heavy sigh and returned his gaze to the deck he was holding.

'Are you sure you're okay Seto?' Mokuba frowned at him. 'Only you seem a little…'

'Could you do me a favour?' Kaiba cut him off. 'Could you destroy this deck for me?'

'Huh?'

'I don't need these cards anymore and I want you to get rid of them for me.'

'By destroying them? Isn't that a little extreme?'

'Uh...' Kaiba looked a little caught out, 'but... the... uh... the cards are so worthless; they should be destroyed.'

'Seriously Seto, what's going on with you?' Mokuba shook his head. 'You're acting really... weird. What's happened? And please don't tell me this has something to do with what Tristan said to you because I thought...'

'This has nothing to do with Tristan,' Kaiba cut him off again. 'I just... I just need you to destroy these cards for me, okay? It's not like I'm asking you to go on some kind of murderous rampage here so I don't see what you're getting all worked up about.'

'Okay, okay, jeez,' Mokuba held up his hands in a show of submission, 'if it really means that much to you, I'll do it.'

'Now,' he practically forced the cards into Mokuba's hands.

'Yeah, sure, but...'

'No buts Mokuba, just do it,' Kaiba turned away from him and made his way towards the window.

'I was just going to say you need to talk to Tristan.'

'Yeah, I know, but that's my concern, not yours, so do me a favour and keep your nose out. Now, leave.'

'Well aren't you mister demanding today,' Mokuba rolled his eyes as he made his way towards the door.

Once out in the hallway he made a beeline to his own room. There was something odd about the way his brother was acting and Mokuba was determined to try and figure out what it was. And since right now the only clue he had was the deck he'd been given, that's where he was going to start. To his surprise, it was a pretty decent line up. Even though it consisted mostly of fairy type monsters, it was certainly built to his brother's strategy style. What he couldn't understand, however, was why he brother had built a deck like this in the first place, because it definitely wasn't one he could ever see his brother using or even considering using for that matter.

With the one clue he did have not really pointing him in any kind of direction, Mokuba slipped the deck of cards into his pocket and made his way out of his bedroom and back downstairs. He knew his brother would probably be pretty pissed off at him for not carrying out his request, but there was just no way he could destroy these cards without knowing what the hell his brother was doing with them in the first place.

He arrived back in the room he'd left Mai and Tristan in to find them gone. An edgy feeling began to bite its way through his stomach as he realised he'd been on his own now for a good ten minutes or so. He half considered going back up to his brother's room to spend a little time with him, but he wanted something good to report back to Dr Charm in their next session. If he could somehow stay on his own till Tristan got back then he'd be taking a good strong step towards recovery, right?

Right. So then he would distract himself with a little TV and eat some of the remaining snacks on his own. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?

* * *

'Mai,' Joey stared at her as she entered the chamber, 'what are you doing here, I thought you were…'

'I wanted to see how the search was going,' she cut him off. 'Any luck yet?'

'Hey I thought this room was supposed to be really brightly painted or something?' Tristan blocked any reply Joey might have given.

'Does that have to be the first thing everyone mentions?' Joey rolled his eyes.

'Hey I was just asking,' he shrugged. 'So you found the kid yet, or what?'

'No,' he shook his head, 'and we think whatever got him, now has Ahna and Covo too.'

'You don't think it's dangerous, do you?' Mai bit her lip nervously.

'I'm not sure,' Joey turned his gaze away, 'that's why I'd rather you weren't around.'

'Hey what's this?' Tristan began studying a spot on the wall he'd wandered over to.

'What's what?' Joey frowned as he walked over to him.

'This,' he pointed towards what looked like a faded ink splodge.

'Huh, I never noticed that before.'

'Noticed what?' Jay joined them. 'Hey, that wasn't there before.'

'It must have been,' Joey shook his head dismissively.

'Well it wasn't. I went over this place with a fine tooth comb, remember?'

'Is it me or is that ink splodge looking less and less faint?' Tristan frowned.

'Is it me or is it looking less and less like an ink splodge?' Jay's voice pitched with curious excitement.

'You're right,' Joey felt fear bite at his stomach. 'And, if you ask me, it's looking more and more like the Yatnuh.'


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

She stretched her arms out as far as they would go, leant her head back and closed her eyes. Her whole body was tingling with the strangest of sensations. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not, but she had a good idea what it all meant.

'The games about to start.'

'I know,' the redhead's voice was wonderfully calm, 'are you ready for this?'

'Yes, yes I am,' she lowered her arms and turned towards the redhead, 'I don't think I've been more ready for anything in my whole life.'

'Good, then shall I let the challengers know we're ready for them?'

'Yes,' a huge grin pulled across her face, 'and let them know I will be watching them. If any of them even think about cheating...'

'Cheating in this game would be pretty hard, the Master made sure of that when he knew he would be using them.'

'I know, but a little warning doesn't hurt, right? Right now they know what's going on, the players don't; it does not benefit us to have that dynamic change.'

'Oh, I see, and here I thought you were worried about...'

'No, the Master has them in line, but this game is supposed to challenge our players and I will not have that ruined.'

'I understand,' the redhead smirked. 'The game will begin soon.'

'I know,' she turned her gaze towards the horizon, 'and it's going to be so much fun.'

* * *

His head felt heavy and muggy, with the dull ache of a headache pulsing through it. He gave a heavy sigh and half opened his eyes. Crying took a lot out of him and it wasn't unusual for him to literally pass out from exhaustion whilst sat at Téa's bedside. It was something which made him feel incredibly guilty every single time, but he was slowly accepting the fact it was what his body needed.

It took a few moments for him to realise something wasn't right. When he did he instantly shot into a sitting position. Everything around him looked weird, like he'd been drugged or something. The air moved and wavered and shimmered in a way which made him feel sick and increased the feeling of pain walled up inside his head. To make matters worse he was no longer in Téa's hospital room, but instead in some wide open field in the middle of nowhere.

'Where... where am I?' He shook his head in wonder as he carefully pulled himself to his feet. 'What... what's going on?'

He slowly turned a tight circle in order to examine his surroundings. As he did several weird noises picked their way through his ears. There were as uncomfortable to hear as they were indescribable. For a few moments he pressed his hands against his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, willing everything to be normal again. It didn't work. Sighing heavily his hands automatically reached for the puzzle shaped pendent which should have been round his neck. It was gone and it took him a moment to remember he'd given it away to Téa.

'Great,' he gritted his teeth as the noises he was hearing died away for a moment, 'I really am alone. Well there's not much point in staying around here.'

He closed his eyes and willed himself back to Téa's side. It didn't work. Undeterred he tried again and then a third time, before finally admitting to himself that his powers were down.

'Great, just great,' his head surged and swayed with the instability of his vision, 'what am I supposed to do now?'

* * *

'Jay, Jay,' a familiar voice sounded gently, 'wake up Jay, come on.'

'Ugh, my head hurts,' he groaned loudly as he opened his eyes. 'Where am I?'

'Who knows,' Ahna gave a heavy sigh, 'and you're the first person I've seen since I arrived here.'

'Well at least you're safe,' Jay crammed his hands against the side of his head as he sat up, 'you don't happen to have any aspirin on you, do you?'

'Okay, for a start you and I both know pain killers have no affect on the dead,' Ahna rolled her eyes, 'for a second that headache you have now will probably pass soon enough. Mine did.'

'There's no need to be so cold Ahna,' he shot her a look as his tongue glanced over his lips, 'and if you're not gonna help me kill my pain, could you at least help me to my feet?'

'Lazy much?'

'Do you even need to ask?' His tongue glanced over his lips again. 'So you gonna help me up or what?'

'Sure,' she reached a hand down towards him.

'Thanks,' taking her hand, he allowed her to pull him to his feet. 'So do you know what happened to Covo?'

'You did hear me say you were the first person I've seen since arriving here, right?' Ahna cocked an eyebrow. 'That includes my currently less than better other half.'

'Yeah,' he licked his lips, 'sorry.'

'So what do you think we should do?' She folded her arms. 'I mean, I was looking for Covo, but if you have a better plan...'

'No, looking for Covo's fine, but we probably could include the others into our search.'

'Others?'

'You didn't think I was alone, did you?'

'I guess not,' she sighed again. 'So which way do we go?'

'Does it matter?'

'Well, there's a pretty interesting looking henge about half a mile or so that way,' Ahna pointed, 'I actually ended up staying there last night. Most of today too, thanks to all the damn rain this place seems to get.'

'Sounds to me like it'll probably make a good base camp then,' Jay licked his lips for the third or fourth time in as many minutes.

'That's what I was thinking,' Ahna's face filled with a curious frown. 'Have you been spending too much time around SK or something?'

'Huh?'

'You keep licking your lips, you never do that.'

'I what?' Even as he said it Jay could feel his tongue glancing over his lips again.

'You keep licking your lips, seriously.'

'Great,' he rolled his eyes, 'if we ever find the guy, remind me to stop hanging out with him.'

'As if you have a choice.'

'Don't remind me,' he sighed. 'So are we gonna head towards this base camp of yours or what?'

'Of course.' She grinned. 'Follow me.'

* * *

A shrill scream cut clean across the air, causing him to wake up with a start. Ignoring his pounding headache and without taking the time to examine his unfamiliar surroundings, he leapt to his feet and headed in the direction of the scream. To his amazement, the source of the scream turned out to be a very scared, very un-pregnant looking Mai.

'SK,' her eyes were wide with fear, 'someone's stolen my baby!'

'I... I don't...' his own eyes bulged, 'how...?'

'How the hell should I know?'

'This... this is bad.'

'Tell me something I don't know.'

'We've got to find the others.'

'What good is that going to do?'

'Well it'll give us more minds to figure this thing out for a start,' SK tried to keep his voice as calm and level as possible.

'I don't want to figure this thing out,' Mai sounded almost hysterical, 'I just want my baby back.'

'I know, but I don't know what else to do. It's not like you can mount a search party for a missing foetus.'

'Oh god,' she buried her face in her hands.

Unable to do anything else, SK wrapped his arms around Mai and held her as she broke down into floods of tears.

'Don't worry,' he tried to sound more confident and comforting than he felt, 'first we'll find Joey and the others and then we'll find your baby, I promise.'

'No,' she moaned, 'I want my baby back now.'

'I... I know, but I… I can't do that,' he gently stroked her hair. 'I wish I could Mai, really I do, but I can't,' he tightened his grip around her. 'We have to find Joey. He'll know what to do.'

'Really?' Mai sniffed, pulling away from him.

'Of course,' he forced a smile, 'he is the First's host after all and it is his kid too.'

'Oh Joey,' she squeezed her eyes shut, 'I'm so sorry.'

'Come on,' he gave her a gently nudge, 'I'll see if I can take you to him.'

'Please.'

'Alright then.'

Taking a deep breath, he attempted to Jump them both to Joey. He already knew it wasn't going to be easy; after all he had no idea where the guy was, but for some reason his powers didn't seem to want to work.

'So are you going to take me to him or not?' Mai voice trembled tearfully after they'd been stood there for a few minutes.

'I'm trying,' SK frowned, 'I don't get why my powers aren't working.'

'Maybe I should try.'

'Huh?'

'I... I know I'm not the best at Jumping, but I can do it. And... and I'm more connected to Joey than you are, so...'

'Are you sure you should, I mean…' suddenly his eyes caught sight of something on the underside of his right wrist. 'What the…?'

'SK?'

'Mai, please tell me what you think this is,' he held his arm up for her.

'Why it looks like…' she froze. 'I think we know now why you're powers are down.'

'Yeah,' SK's whole head felt numb as he slowly began to nod, 'so I guess we don't have a choice here, we're going to have to rely on your ability to Jump.'


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The first thing he became aware of was the heavy, throbbing headache pounding inside his head. Then the hard, cold, uncomfortable ground beneath him and the swollen, bloated feeling of his stomach above made his whole body uncomfortable and stiff. He groaned and shifted his position slightly as his eyes slowly blinked open.

'Dude, are you alright?' Duke's blurry face appeared above him.

'I'm fine,' he groaned again as he rubbed the blur from his eyes, 'what happened?'

'I don't know,' he shrugged and half turned away, 'all I know is that I woke up here.'

'Well that's not all we know,' almost out of nowhere Tristan knelt down beside him with a huge smirk plastered across his face.

'What's that supposed to mean?' He frowned at him.

'Tristan you promised you wouldn't,' Duke shot him a warning glance.

'He wouldn't what?'

'Wouldn't tease you,' Tristan continued to smirk.

'Tease me for what?'

'You know how you were saying you wished you could be closer to your daughter? Well you really should be more careful what you wish for.'

'What?' Joey tried to sit up, but instantly found it a lot more difficult than it should have been. 'Wh… wha…' his eyes widened as he stared down at himself. 'Is… is that what I think it is?'

'Congratulations dude,' Tristan lowered his head and folded his arms in amusement, 'you're pregnant.'

'But... but how...' Joey shook his head in disbelief, 'this... this shouldn't be possible.'

'Shouldn't, but is,' Tristan was clearly enjoying this situation a little too much.

'Do you need a hand getting up?' Duke shot him a wary smile.

'Yeah, thanks,' Joey nodded.

Tristan and Duke both reached a hand down towards him and between the three of them they managed to pull Joey to his feet. Stood up, his stomach felt heavier and more uncomfortable than it did when he was lying down.

'I don't think I like this,' Joey pulled a face. 'It just feels so... unnatural.'

'Oh I don't know, I think pregnancy suits you very well,' again Tristan's amusement was almost overdone, 'you're positively glowing.'

'You're just loving this, aren't you?'

'Consider this payback for not thinking I was capable of taking care of Mai by myself,' Tristan folded his arms.

'Great, you chose now to remember.'

'Right now I remember everything,' he shrugged, 'in some ways it's a little weird, but... I don't know; it's probably something to do with this place.'

'What is this place anyway?' Joey glanced about.

'That's what we've been trying to figure out,' Duke gave a nervous cough. 'Although... I'm also a little... worried about the others,' he shifted his gaze away. 'I mean, if you're like this Joey then it's safe to assume Mai isn't and...'

'Oh god this must be like waking up to her worst nightmare,' a bolt of shock moved through Joey.

'I didn't think of that,' Tristan's arms dropped as a guilty look appeared across his face, 'she must be totally freaking out.'

'We have to find her and quickly.'

'Agreed,' Duke nodded, 'and, with all the power you two are packing between you, that shouldn't take too long.'

'Got that right,' Joey grinned.

'So do you want to do the honours or shall I?' Tristan shot him a look.

'Joey?' A familiar voice suddenly sounded from nearby. 'Tristan? Duke? Is that you?'

'Yugi,' Joey turned towards him, 'you're here too?'

'Yeah, I am,' Yugi winced slightly as he examined the others. 'Joey are you...?'

'Apparently.'

'But how?'

'Do we really look as if we know?' Joey sighed and shook his head.

'Hey where's your puzzle?' Tristan frowned at him.

'I gave it to Téa.'

'Why?'

'I didn't feel like I deserved it anymore,' Yugi lowered his gaze.

'Yuug...' Joey shot him a pitiful look.

'It's alright,' he shook his head, 'so long as I get back to her soon, everything will be alright.' He glanced back up at them. 'You guys still have your powers, right?'

'Are yours down then?'

'Yeah.'

'Well then let Mr Mum take you back to Téa,' Tristan refolded his arms and turned away, 'because there's no way in hell me and my powers are going anywhere near her.'

'How can you hate somebody who's practically in a coma?' Joey stared at him despairingly.

'I have my reasons.'

'Which are?'

'None of your damn business.'

'I know Téa's been a real stick in the mud about the _new you_ Tristan, but honestly her heart was in the right place,' Yugi shifted his gaze away. 'I just think she has a problem accepting the fact you've changed.'

'We've all changed, why does she feel the need to single me out for it?' Tristan gritted his teeth.

'It's not... I mean... I... I don't know.'

'Well I think I do and I can't say I like the reason.'

'What do you mean?' Yugi blinked at him.

'I mean...'

'Err, guys,' Joey cut him off, 'can we not do this right now, I think you're upsetting the baby.'

'How do you know?'

'I'm not sure,' he bit his lip nervously, 'but my stomach feels pretty weird or rather it feels weirder. Can we just jump to Mai already?'

'Go ahead.'

Almost automatically he tried to use his power, but nothing happened. Confused, but not undeterred, he tried again. Still nothing.

'Err, guys,' Joey stared round at them, 'I think we have a problem.'

* * *

'Covo? Covo is that you?'

The sound of Mokuba's voice caused Covo to turn round and watch the younger of the two Kaiba brothers race towards him. There was a definite look of complete and utter relief on his face and Covo honestly couldn't say he didn't share it. After all, he'd been on his own now for what felt like forever.'

'Hey,' Covo nodded at him as he arrived next to him, 'you're stuck here too?'

'Yeah,' Mokuba's face pulled into a wary smile, 'I just closed my eyes for like one second, then poof, I woke up here.'

'You weren't in the Mistresses Chamber at the Temple of Set, were you?'

'No,' he shook his head, 'I was at home.'

'That's weird.'

'Why?'

'Well I figured the only way to get here from our Realm was from the Mistresses Chamber.'

'How'd you figure that?'

'Because that's how I got here,' Covo tilted his head in thought, 'and I'm fairly sure Crovell and Ahna got here like that too.'

'So you found Crovell then?'

'No.'

'But you just said…'

'I was making assumptions.'

'I see,' Mokuba frowned for a moment. 'So do you know if anyone else is here or not?'

'Well if they are, they sure as hell are not in this forest.'

'How do you know?'

'Because I've been stuck here for almost a day now and you're the first person I've come across.'

'Wait, you've been here all day?' Mokuba's eyes bulged in alarm. 'I've only been here for like an hour at the most.'

'Then let me be the first to welcome you to hell,' Covo rolled his eyes. 'And just look how much hell loves me,' he held up his right arm, revealing the tattoo.

'Hey, isn't that.'

'Yeah,' his lips pulled into an unimpressed smile, 'the one time I actually need power and I have none.'

'Well you're not the only one.'

'What do you mean?'

'My powers are down too,' Mokuba shifted his gaze away, 'I don't have a tattoo, but they're still not working.'

'Well that makes me feel slightly better,' Covo sighed, 'but it doesn't really help either one of us out. And I'm telling you now I'm really, really sick of walking.'


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

He didn't know where he was or who he was or how he'd gotten there or why he was there or… Well, he didn't really know anything. It was like he'd woken up to a complete and utter mental blank. Well, maybe not a complete mental blank; there was one thing he did know. One single piece of information he could remember and cling to with all his might. In a world which was strange and fearful to him, it was his salvation. Something nobody could take away, no matter how hard they tried. This information was important, because it was the name and the face of the most important person in the world to him and he would never let that information go.

But now the question became, did he go looking for his important person or did he wait for them to come to him? The space outside of the little sheltered area he was in was large and daunting. A part of him feared the thought of getting lost within it and if he was lost then he would never find his important person. No, better to wait until they came to him. Because they had to be out there searching for him, right? Right, he had no reason to doubt it. Why would he? If they meant everything to him then the reverse had to be true as well. It just had to be.

* * *

'I think someone's trying to be funny,' Catilin laughed as she held up her arm towards them. 'Does this mean I'm in the club now too? But I haven't done anything bad, bad, so it's not really, really fair you know.'

'Didn't you pretty much kidnap a girl today?' Jay cocked an eyebrow at her as his tongue skated across his lips. 'Kidnapping still counts as an illegal offence you know, so bad doesn't even begin to cover it.'

'I didn't kidnap her, kidnap her, I just took her somewhere we could talk, that's all. You're as bad as Duke,' Catilin shook her head. 'So is there anyone else here?'

'I guess Covo has to be out there somewhere,' Ahna bit her lip, 'but other than that...'

'Hmm,' Catilin folded her arms and pulled a face, 'this place is weird.'

'Tell me something I don't already know,' she gave a nervous laugh.

'No, you don't understand, the air is really still here. It's not telling me anything. It doesn't buzz. It doesn't hum. It doesn't do anything. It's just so still and that's really, really weird.'

'Maybe it's something to do with the henge,' Ahna tilted her head to one side. 'I read somewhere that old, mystical structures can disrupt a Calicaccu's senses.'

'Maybe, I was pretty nearby when I woke up,' despite the calmness of her words her face revealed she didn't quite buy into that theory.

'There is something strange about these stones, I'm sure of it,' Ahna did her best to be as convincing as possible. 'I ended up spending the night here because constant torrential rain showers prevented me from moving more than half a meter in any direction. There are these inscriptions on the stone over there,' she pointed, 'and the longer I was here the more I found myself going over and over what they said in my mind, trying to figure out as much about them as I could. But the way I was thinking... it didn't feel like me, if that makes sense. That's why I'm sure there's something weird about this henge.'

'Okay,' Catilin sounded a little more convinced, 'were the words in English or in Ode?'

'English.'

'What did they say?'

'I am. Reflection. I reflect. You are. Reflection. You reflect.'

'So, what, we're all mirrors then,' Jay licked his lips and laughed, 'cuz I don't feel particularly glass like.'

'That's an SK thing,' Catilin tilted her head as she studied him carefully, 'you're doing an SK thing.'

'What?' Jay frowned as he licked his lips again.

'Your tongue's doing an SK thing,' Catilin clapped her hands together, 'imitation means you like someone, doesn't it?'

'Oh yeah, me and SK are best friends, couldn't you figure that out on your own,' Jay rolled his eyes as his voice dripped with sarcasm.

'See, even you think you like him.'

'That's not what I meant.'

'But it's what you said,' Catilin poked her tongue out at him.

'Yes, but I...' Jay licked his lips once more as he shook his head. 'You're just trying to wind me up now, aren't you?'

'Maybe...'

'You maturity in situations like this never ceases to amaze me,' he rolled his eyes again, before turning his attention towards Ahna. 'So where exactly are these inscriptions of yours? I'd like to check them out for myself.'

'Why?' Ahna smirked at him. 'Not starting to feel like a mirror, are we?'

* * *

SK didn't know if it was because of her inexperience or because her powers were down too, but nothing Mai tried seemed to work either. When he could see her becoming visibly distressed again, he'd stopped her and told her if they walked around for long enough, they would probably come across the others anyway. The only problem was, without knowing exactly how big this place was, there was no telling if and when they actually would bump into anyone else. Not that SK could tell Mai that, he was having a hard enough time keeping her calm as it was.

For the last ten minutes or so all conversation between them had dropped. The silence which replaced it wasn't uncomfortable exactly, but it was filled with a _lot_ of unspoken words. SK wanted to tell Mai everything was alright, that they would get her baby back and find Joey and Crovell and the others and that it would all turn out okay. But something in the pit of his stomach made him hold back; because the truth was, at that point in time, he couldn't see how everything could possibly turn out okay. Mai losing Jo wasn't like Ahna losing Crovell. He didn't know how she could possible get her baby back and it killed him.

'Hey what's that?' Mai interrupted his train of thoughts.

For a while now they'd been walking in the direction of a large forest, but just as the entrance to it was coming into view, so did a small structure made entirely of green stones.

'A henge, I think.'

'What do you mean, you think?' Mai frowned. 'I thought you were an archaeologist.'

'I'm more of a genealogist with an interest in Egyptology and it's not like there are many henges in Egypt.'

'I see.'

'Hey, do you think we should check it out?'

'Aren't we supposed to be looking for Joey?' Mai's voice was as tense as her body.

'Well that henge is a pretty noticeable structure, for all we know he might be heading towards it anyway.'

'Maybe,' she couldn't have sounded less convinced if she tried.

'Look, we might as well check it out now; after all, it might hold some clues to what's going on.'

'This is the scientist in you, isn't it?'

'What do you think?'

'Fine,' Mai gave an impatient sigh, 'I suppose a break wouldn't hurt.'

'Great,' he grinned.

By this time they'd arrived at the entrance to the henge. Instantly his eyes were drawn towards a carved, circular, stone table in the centre. Without hesitation, he made his way towards it and was filled with an almost horrified disappointment when he discovered that some careless vandal had scratched a nonsensical phrase into it.

'The sleeper dreams. The dreamer sleeps,' Mai read over his shoulder. 'What once was sees what now is,' she frowned. 'What's that supposed to mean? _What once was sees what now is_. That doesn't make any sense.'

'Who cares?' Now it was SK's turn to sigh impatiently. 'I just can't believe anyone could be so insensitive as to deface it like that. I mean, look how beautifully carved this table is otherwise.'

'Thank god, I thought I was never going to make it out of there.'

The sudden sound of his voice made both of them half jump out of their skins. Looking up, they saw Covo and Mokuba emerging from the forest.

'SK,' his cousin grinned happily, 'you're here too?'

'And Mai as well by the look of it,' Covo's eyes scanned them over for a few seconds before his eyes bulged with horror. 'Wait, what's going on? Why isn't Mai pregnant?'


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

'Can we please stop?' Joey groaned. 'I really need to sit down.'

'Again?' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'You know, we're not going to get anywhere if you keep needing to take a break every ten minutes.'

'Well I'm sorry,' he folded his arms stubbornly, 'but how would you like to suddenly wake up seven months pregnant?'

'Is there really any point in arguing about this again guys?' Duke shook his head. 'Look, there's a bunch of pink rocks up ahead,' he pointed towards a stone structure not too far away from them, 'how about we rest when we get there?'

'Sounds good to me,' without hesitation Tristan began pushing Joey forward.

'But… but… but… that's miles away,' Joey's voice whined.

'Don't exaggerate Mr Mum, it's not that far.'

'That's easy for you to say, you're not the one walking for two.'

'Walking for two? Never heard that expression before.'

'Shut up Tristan.'

As the two of them pushed their slow way ahead, Yugi gave a heavy sigh.

'Are you okay?' Duke turned his attention towards him.

'I'm just worried about Téa,' Yugi lowered his gaze, 'what if she wakes up whilst I'm here? She'll think that I really hate her then. I don't care if she hates me, I just don't want her to think that I hate her, when I don't.'

'I'm sure we'll get out of here before she wakes up. I mean, she has been asleep for over three months now. Although…' he hesitated.

'Although what?'

'It doesn't matter,' Duke shook his head, 'I'm sure you'll get back before she wakes. And anyway, didn't you give her your puzzle, surely that'll let her know you care.'

'Yeah I guess,' Yugi sighed again and lowered his head. 'Do you think I'm evil Duke?'

'I think evil possessed you for a while, but I don't think you're evil now,' his face pulled with a sympathetic smile.

'But how can you possibly forgive me after everything I did?'

'That wasn't really you. Just like it wasn't really Jay, or Ahna,' Duke shrugged. 'If there's one thing I've learnt from being in this group, it's that things aren't always black and white. There's a lot of grey and you attacking Téa was just one of those grey things.'

'I wish I could believe that.'

'So do I, you've been way too hard on yourself about all this.'

'Why does everybody keep telling me that?'

'Because it's true,' Duke placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Look, maybe you should talk to the others about how you're feeling. I mean, Ahna, Jay and Catilin all probably know what you're going through.'

'Maybe…' he pulled a face. 'I don't know. I guess I just don't know myself anymore.'

As he was saying this, the four of them arrived at the structure they'd been heading towards. Duke allowed his eyes to scan around the unusual stone formation as he tried to work out if it was partially natural or completely manmade.

'Is it just me or is there something creepy about pink stones,' Tristan shuddered.

'Who cares,' Joey shrugged, 'so long as I can get off my feet it doesn't really bother me.'

Leaning his weight against one of the large, upright stones holding up the roof of a semi-sheltered area, he carefully lowered himself to the ground and gave a heavy, relieved sigh.

'You know this place would make a good camp for the night,' Duke slowly made his way around the area, assessing just how stable the structure was. 'I mean, its going to start getting dark soon and I'm not sure how much further Joey's really going to be able to walk today.'

'Couldn't we just leave him here and come back for him later or something?' Tristan smirked. 'I mean, we'd be able to travel a lot faster without him.'

'We can't leave him here Tristan,' Yugi shot him a disapproving look, 'not when he's powerless to defend himself.'

'I know, all I'm saying is…'

'I can hear you,' Joey sharply cut him off, 'I'm pregnant, not deaf, you know.'

'Sorry,' Tristan rolled his eyes and folded his arms, 'but you've got to admit we'd move a lot faster without you.'

'So what, I'm just a burden to you now?'

'I didn't say that.'

'No, but you implied it.'

'Look,' Duke interjected, 'we're all going to stay here at least until morning, got it?'

'And just who put you in charge?' Joey cocked an eyebrow at him.

'No one, but somebody has to be.'

'Fine,' he waved his hand dismissively, 'so what's the plan?'

'Well I think me and Tristan should look for some food or firewood or something,' Duke tilted his head in thought. 'You and Yugi can wait here till we get back.'

'That sounds good to me,' Joey gave an exhausted sounding sigh.

'Of course it sounds good to you,' Tristan rolled his eyes again, 'you don't have to move.'

'I'd stop complaining if I were you Tristan,' Joey glared at him, 'unless you want to be the one carrying this child of course.'

* * *

'Are the challengers ready yet?'

'They're just waiting for you to send them in.'

'Good,' she nodded slowly, 'so do you think our players are ready for them yet?'

'You tell me,' the redhead wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her head on her shoulder.

'I'm not sure they are. Then again I'm not sure I care.'

'So you would send the challengers in before they're ready for them?' The redhead smirked.

'Is that allowed?'

'You're the one the Master has left in control, remember? It's up to you to decide things like that.'

'I know, but you were the one designed to play this role, so tell me, is it permitted to send the challengers in before the players are ready?'

'There's nothing to stop you from doing so, except your own conscience of course. Would you feel right sending the challengers in before the players were ready?'

'I think it would be... entertaining,' her lips twitched into a darkly amused smile.

'The Master would definitely agree with that.'

'So then it's decided,' her voice was as cool as her emotions towards the whole situation, 'it's time to send the challengers in.'

* * *

He wasn't sure when he'd started tossing the large, smooth pebble around, hoping and jumping towards it back and forth across the little cave he was in, but he did know it made waiting a little less boring. Somewhere in his head he knew he was playing a very crude version of an actually game, but he couldn't remember the rules or the name so he guessed it didn't really matter. Still he was starting to feel more than a little bored not and he just wished his important person would hurry up and find him already.

'Are you okay?' The sound of the deep, unfamiliar and almost taunting voice made him jump. 'Not lost are we?'

'Maybe just a little,' he pulled a face as he turned to face the new arrival.

His heart nearly stopped dead when he saw the guy. The monster stood at nearly seven foot two and was dressed in silver armour which shimmered slightly pink in the light. His face was framed by curly, ash grey hair and his mud brown eyes appeared to disappear into the fearsome darkness of his smile. In his right hand he held a very sharp, very dangerous and very deadly looking sword.

Fear skated through him. Instinct told him this guy was dangerous and he wasn't about to hang around and find out exactly how dangerous. Turning sharply, he fled. Running as fast as his legs would carry him, he didn't even bother to glance round and see if he was being chased. He didn't care. All he wanted to do was get as far away from the monstrous man as he could. He didn't know where he was running or how long he'd been running for, when he spotted them on the path ahead of him.

Joy filtered through him as he realised he recognised one of them. Just when he'd needed him most his important person had appeared. That must be why he could remember him, because his important person always knew when he was in trouble and always came to save him when he was. There were no consequences, no doubts and no hesitations as he threw himself into his arms. Why should there be? Being with him meant he was safe and protected from the man with the big pointy sword; so why should anything else matter?


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

'So... if Mai's no longer pregnant, does that mean that Tristan is?' Mokuba frowned.

'You know, I never even thought of that,' SK pressed his lips together, 'it is a good point though.'

'No, no it's not,' Mai gave a strange half laugh and shook her head. 'Tristan can't be pregnant; not unless I've truly lost my baby and I have not lost my baby. I will get her back.'

'Yeah, when she's born.'

'No, not when she's born,' her eyes brimmed with angry tears, 'because that means I'm not giving birth to her and I will give birth to her.'

'But what if it doesn't work out like that?'

'It will work out like that. You'll see.'

'Okay, okay,' SK held up his hands in defeat, 'you'll get your baby back and be the one to give birth to her. Just don't blame me if you don't.'

'Is it me or is it starting to get dark awfully quickly?' Covo tilted his head up towards the sky.

Almost as soon as he did, large drops of rain began splashing down around them. Edgily the four of them exchanged a look.

'Shelter anyone?'

* * *

For the second day in a row Ahna found herself sheltered under part of the blue stone henge. It was increasingly depressing, but at least she wasn't on her own this time.

'It'll pass soon,' she sighed as she leant back against the stone behind her, 'but we'll probably get it on and off all night again, like I did before. I think it rain's to stop us from moving around too much at certain times.'

'Why would it do that?' Catilin's head twitched slightly as she watched the rain.

'Maybe bad things come out at certain times,' Jay shrugged, 'things which could hurt us if we don't stay put.'

'That's a scary idea,' her lip trembled as she turned towards him. 'You don't really think there are bad things out there, do you Jay?'

'I don't think so,' Ahna answered before Jay could make the situation worse. 'I think the rain is to slow our movements down.'

'Huh?'

'Well think about it, if you can't move very far for certain a length of time then it's going to take you a while to get anywhere.'

'If you're going to think about it that way then why not call this whole situation a game,' Jay licked his lips, 'and the point is to locate the missing baby.'

'Don't make my son a prize,' Ahna glared at him.

'Why not?' Jay shrugged. 'I mean, assuming the others made it here too, we're all looking for the exact same thing, aren't we? So what if whoever's brought us here has made that the point of some twisted little game.'

'I don't like twisted games,' Catilin pulled a face, 'even if they can be fun sometimes. And, and, and who would make baby Crovell a prize anyway?'

'Well, if you ask me, a few baby brother hating gods kinda spring to mind,' Jay's tongue skated across his lips as he lowered his head slightly.

'But they wanted to kill him, not auction him off to the highest bidder,' Ahna folded her arms.

'Well maybe they're just trying to keep us occupied,' he licked his lips again. 'You know, distract us whilst they go after the real prize.'

'What do you mean?' Ahna and Catilin exchanged worried glances.

'I mean, what if this isn't about Crovell for once. What if this is about Jo?'

* * *

Tristan barely had time to get over the shock of Kaiba throwing himself into his arms, when the heavens had opened and the rain started pounding down around them. He and Duke exchanged glances, before the three of them ran full pelt back towards the pink stone structure. The look of amusement on Joey's face when they arrived was enough to make several uncomfortable feelings move through Tristan's stomach. For half a second he just thought it was anger, but he quickly realised it was a little more disconcerting than that; not that he had time to really figure out why.

'I thought you were going to pick up firewood,' Joey smirked, 'not guys.'

'Shut up,' Tristan glared at him.

'So where exactly did you find rich boy?'

'We didn't,' Duke shook his head, 'he found us.'

'And is there any reason why he's holding onto Tristan like some frightened little kid?'

'Or why he's being so quiet?' Yugi frowned.

'I'm not sure,' Tristan glanced down at his friend. 'I mean, he's almost acting like I do when…' his heart stopped dead. 'Do you…?' He gave a nervous cough. 'Do you have any idea who you are?'

Kaiba shook his head.

'What about anyone else here?'

'I know who you are,' his voice was childish and small.

'And what about the others?'

He shook his head again.

'Besides me, do you remember anything?'

'But I only need to know who you are. You're my important person.'

Everything in Tristan fell into a deep state of disbelief. Those words... those words were _his_ words. They didn't sound right coming from Kaiba. But again it was more than that; somewhere buried within the disbelief at hearing Kaiba talking like this was guilt. Deep seeded, deep rooted, pulling, tugging, biting, consuming guilt. It didn't make any sense; hearing Kaiba admit he was important to him should have filled Tristan with joy, not guilt.

'You know I'm not sure I really like the idea of your ridicules man-crush on Kaiba being a two way thing,' the amused tones of Joey's voice attempted to cut through the tension. 'I don't care how rich he is, you could definitely do better.'

'Shut up Joey,' Tristan glared at him, 'now's not the time for your stupidity.'

'Who's being stupid here?' Joey smirked. 'I don't mind if you're gay Tristan, but there's no need for you to settle for the first guy who insults you, you know.'

'You're lucky you're pregnant right now or I swear I'd hit you for that,' Tristan felt his whole body go tense, but not for the reasons he was expecting.

'There's no need for you to get so tetchy about this,' Joey rolled his eyes, 'we both know rich boy would totally rip on me for being pregnant right now, if he could remember. This is probably the only time I can seriously put him down without any repercussions, do you really think I'd walk away from that?'

'You could try being the better man for once Joey,' Tristan gritted his teeth, 'I mean, shouldn't you be setting a good example for your daughter or something?'

'You mean my unborn child?' He shook his head. 'It's not like she understands.'

'This coming from the guy whose eldest son is a frigging seven month old genius?'

'Good point,' he stared down at his bulging stomach. 'Sorry Jo, Daddy didn't mean to be so insensitive to Tristan's man-crush; even though we both know he'd be mean to Daddy for carrying you.'

'Its official,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'you're an idiot.'

'Looks like the rains stopped,' Duke cut into their conversation.

'Guess its time to look for firewood again then,' Tristan sighed. 'Though I'm guessing most of it's probably soaked by now,' he threw a wary glance towards Joey. 'If I leave him here with you, you won't take advantage, will you?'

'Exactly what do you mean by take advantage?' Joey cocked an eyebrow.

'I mean, you won't make fun of him or anything.'

'Of course not, what do you take me for? I would never make fun of someone with amnesia of any variety.'

'But you just were.'

'No, I was making fun of you; there's a difference.'

'Whatever,' Tristan rolled his eyes again, before turning his attention towards Kaiba. 'You mind if I leave you here with Joey and Yugi for a while?'

'I want to go with you,' his voice was small.

'I'm not going to be gone long, I promise. And you're much better off staying here with them.'

'But I don't know them,' his eyes became large and pleading, 'I know you.'

'I understand, but they're not bad people, honest,' Tristan forced a sympathetic smile across his face, 'because you know I wouldn't leave you with bad people, right?'


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

'Ah-cho,' Covo sneezed, before shaking the water from his hair. 'I don't how much more of this I can take.'

'God this place is awful,' Mokuba began rubbing his arms for warmth, 'if I never see another tree again, I'll die happy. I think I've seen about as much nature today as I need for one lifetime.'

'Well at least the rains stopped,' Mai's voice trembled a little towards the edges, 'so we can start looking for Joey and the others again.'

'I don't think so,' Covo shook his head.

'Why not?'

'Because it will start raining again soon.'

'How do you know?'

'How do you think I got this cold?'

'So what, you want to set up camp for the night or something?'

'Sounds like a plan to me,' SK clapped his hands together, 'although we definitely need to find somewhere a little more covered than this if we can.'

'But what about…'

'Mai, even if we found Joey right here, right now, I doubt they'll be anything we can do about finding Jo tonight. We might as well cut our losses and start again tomorrow.'

'I know you're upset Mai, but he does have a good point,' Mokuba shot her a sympathetic look. 'I mean, me and Covo have been fighting our way through a forest for the better part of the day. I'm beat and he's sick; I think we should rest now and start looking again tomorrow.'

'But…' Mai's eyes were wide and tearfully pleading.

'Look, its three against one Mai,' Covo shook his head, 'I understand how you're feeling, but you've got to admit there's very little you can do about it right now.'

'But I don't want to sleep without her. I can't. I just... can't.'

'Then don't sleep,' he shrugged, 'but you'll probably be exhausted tomorrow and that's not going to help you out much either.'

'Fine, if that's how you all feel I'll search for Joey on my own,' Mai turned away from them.

'I don't think so Mai,' SK place a hand on her shoulder. 'I mean, it's wet, it's cold, it'll probably be dark soon and you don't even know where we are, never mind about Joey or any of the others.'

'And what if there's something really dangerous out there?' Covo's face filled with a worried look. 'Face it Mai, you're better off staying here with us and waiting for the morning.'

'I don't want to wait for the morning,' Mai turned on them. 'I want to look for Joey and my daughter and I want to look for them right now.'

'Calm down Mai.'

'Someone's stolen my unborn child, I've been separated from the man I love and I've had just about enough of people telling me to calm down,' she gritted her teeth. 'I don't care if you're tired or scared of a little rain, I'm not. And I will keep searching, all night if I have to, whether any of you _men_ come with me or not.'

'But Mai…'

'No,' she folded her arms stubbornly, 'there's nothing you can say to keep me here.'

'Fine,' SK sighed, 'but you're not going anywhere on your own. I'm coming with you. Covo and Mokuba can follow us tomorrow.'

'Yeah, because that's going to be easy,' Covo rolled his eyes. 'How do you plan for us to follow you exactly?'

'We'll leave a trail.'

'Of what, breadcrumbs?'

'How about sticks? I mean, we are in a forest, aren't we?'

'I'm not sure that'll work either.'

'I know it's not perfect,' he pulled a face, 'but it is worth a try, isn't it?'

* * *

As soon as the rain had stopped, Catilin had made her way over to the inscriptions Ahna had pointed out earlier. Her gaze scanned over them several times as she tried to find some hidden meaning or something within them. But with the air around her being as still as it was, all staring at the words did was give her another headache.

'So do you think we're mirrors then?' Ahna's face pulled with a warm but tight smile as she appeared next to her.

'I don't know how a person can be a mirror,' Catilin shook her head, 'not really. But... I don't know... my brain's not making the right kind of sense of it.'

'Right kind of sense?' She frowned.

'My brain thinks the way it thinks because of what the air tells me,' she tilted her head to one side, wording everything as carefully as she could in the hopes Ahna would understand. 'And even when the air doesn't tell me anything or doesn't tell me very much my brain still thinks the way it thinks because it doesn't know anything else. But...'

'It feels like your thoughts are doing something they wouldn't normally,' Ahna pressed her lips together.

'Yeah.'

'I think it's just this place Cat,' her lips pulled into a sympathetic smile, 'it's been doing something similar with me too, remember?'

'Mm,' Catilin smiled back at her, before lifted up her right arm studying the tattoo on the underside of her wrist. 'Hey Ahna, can I see yours?'

'Why?'

'I wanna see if they've been done by the same hand.'

'Same hand?'

'Crovell gave you yours, but I don't think he give me mine, so they might look different.'

'I guess,' Ahna looked sceptical, 'but it's not that difficult to copy a circle and even if it is, it doesn't exactly tell us anything we don't already know.'

'I know, but... I wanna see, please.'

'Okay, I guess I can humour you, it's not like I don't always do that anyway,' she smirked as she pulled off her stretch bandage and held up her right arm. 'Here you go.'

'Um, Ahna,' Catilin frowned, 'yours isn't there.'

'What?' Ahna gave a shocked sounding laugh.

'Look, look,' Catilin pointed, 'it's not there.'

'I... I don't understand,' she slowly shook her head as she examined her own wrist. 'I mean, I know I can't use my powers and I'm around Jay, I should have the exact same mark as you.'

'But you don't, you don't and what if Jay doesn't either?'

'No, that's impossible, now you're just being stupid.'

'No, I'm not, I'm not,' Catilin could feel her brain clicking things into place, even if it wasn't in the order it would have normally. 'What if Jay doesn't have his tattoo and SK has it instead?'

'Why would SK have it?'

'Because Jay keeps licking his lips.'

'I don't understand.'

'Jay keeps licking his lips, that's an SK thing. The tattoo is a Jay thing. What if they traded one for the other? And, and, and what if I traded the things the air tell me for a tattoo too?'

'But... why? Isn't it enough to take our powers away?'

'I... I don't know, but... but I feel... I feel like it's right somehow. That someone else can see the air the way I normally do and I have their tattoo instead.'

'Well the air looks normal to me, so the only person left would be Yugi and why would he be here?'

'I don't know,' Catilin's gaze flicked back towards the inscription, 'but I think... I think it all must be a game. It has to be. Doesn't it feel like a game to you?'

'Maybe, but if this is all some kind of game, then way swap traits over and remove powers? Wouldn't one or the other be a lot easier?'

'Maybe ones not needed for the game and the other is. We don't know what the rules are.'

'And that's exactly what worries me,' Ahna folded her arms, 'we don't know what the rules are, we don't know what the stakes are, we don't even know who's behind all this. If this is all just some kind of game then... then I'm terrified for what it means for my son.'

'I know,' Catilin felt herself become sombre for a moment, 'but it'll be okay Ahna, we'll find a way to save him.'

'I know,' Ahna smiled weakly, 'and I think we should tell Jay your theory when he gets back, see what he thinks about it.'

'So you do think it might be right then?'

'I never said that,' she shook her head, 'I just think it's a start... a little something we can go on and the gods know we need one of those right now.'


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

'I am man,' Jay smirked as he pounded his fist against his chest, 'hunter and fire maker. I fetch food and warmth for women folk, who boss man around, whilst they study chicken scratch on stone,' his tongue skated across his lips. 'So man will gather them food and fire, then get none because man is dead,' he laughed. 'Being man sucks.'

'You know, I'm not sure language was invented to be used like that,' a firm, yet amused voice sounded from behind him.

'Oh I'm sorry,' he turned round, 'I was just…' the second he spotted who it was all words froze in his throat.

The guy was about five foot seven, with long, spiky brown hair occasionally woven through with blue and white feathers. He was dressed in little more than a simple, blue Egyptian styled kilt, but he still somehow managed a more commanding presence than his appearance would first lead you to suspect. His arms were folded lazily across his bare, well defined chest and his almost white blue eyes were focused solely on Jay.

'Fray,' Jay gave a nervous laugh, 'how...? I guess this must be an Immortal Plain,' he glanced around, 'it would explain a lot. But... I don't understand, I thought the Fay were all in favour of Crovell and Jo, so why...?'

'It takes a village to raise a child,' Fray's words were careful and precise, 'my uncle wants to prove the strength of your village.'

'Our village?' Jay frowned.

'All those taken to participate in this game of my uncle's are a part of the village in question. They are the ones who will be responsible for the wellbeing and development of the newest additions to our family. All of you need to prove you have what it takes to cope with these children.'

'And if we don't?'

'We gods are a family and, by the same logic we're using with you, we could also be considered a village. If your village fails to prove its worth, then our village will have no choice but to take over.'

'You mean you would wilfully take children away from their parents?' Jay shook his head.

'Children like them must be raised by those best suited to deal with them,' Fray met and held his gaze. 'They are the future of everything, so you must prove your village is strong enough to deal with them.'

'And how the hell are we supposed to do that?' Jay's tongue skated across his lips.

'By playing the game and your first challenge starts right now.'

Fray swept his left arm in front of himself, causing a glass case to rise up from the ground. Inside the glass case was a single duel monsters card depicting The Cousin's Ghost.

'That's… that's SK's soul card,' Jay's jaw dropped open. 'How... how did you get it?'

'I haven't, not yet,' Fray refolded his arms. 'See in order for this or any other card to officially become mine, a player must lose their first challenge. However, if a player successfully completes their challenge then the card becomes theirs and they will be allowed to move onto the next part of the game. Only players in possession of a soul card will be able to move on to the next stage. So, for the sake of your village, will you accept my challenge or not?'

* * *

Yugi knew it was wrong to stare, but he couldn't help it. Since the moment Tristan had left, Kaiba had been huddled up in his own little corner of the stone formation they were in looking more than a little sorry for himself. There was something about the image which not only defied belief, but was also uncomfortably unsettling and unnatural. But then again it wasn't as though his other companion really lessoned the weirdness of the situation. After all, there was no one in the whole multiverse who could argue a pregnant Joey was anything but freakish.

'You okay Yuug?' Joey's voice made him jump.

'Err... yeah,' he gave a nervous laugh as he realised how zoned out he must have looked, 'I was just thinking.'

'About what?'

'All this,' he indicated around them.

'So you're not moping over Téa then,' Joey gave a sigh of relief, 'you know you're really too hard on yourself about what happened.'

'I have to be because no one else is,' Yugi shook his head. 'But... well it's hard to be so... self-indulgent when everything around you is Technicolor crazy.'

'By that I assume you're referring to me being pregnant and rich boy being a blank slate over there.'

'Mm, but... this whole place is weird,' Yugi turned his attention towards the stones around them, 'that's if calling glowing pink rocks isn't an understatement.'

'Glowing?' Joey frowned at him. 'The rocks aren't glowing Yuug.'

'Well okay, maybe they're not _literally_ glowing, but they are doing that weird pulsating thing.'

'Huh?'

'Don't tell me you don't see it,' Yugi turned his gaze back towards him. 'I mean, maybe shimmering is a better words than pulsating, but you have to see it too, right?'

'No,' Joey cocked an eyebrow at him, 'I don't see anything like that. Are you sure you're alright Yugi?'

'I don't know, maybe I hit my head or something as I was losing consciousness,' he shook his head, 'everything's been... weird since I woke up.'

'I take it you mean more than the situation there Yuug,' Joey studied him for a moment.

'I'm not quite sure how to explain it without sounding crazy,' Yugi lowered his gaze, 'it's why I haven't said anything so far but... well... since I woke up everything's looked, sounded and felt... weird.'

'Weird how?'

'It's hard to explain, but it doesn't seem to be going away and its definitely giving me a headache. Or at least continuing the one I already had,' he massaged his temples.

'Maybe you have a concussion or something,' Joey frowned, 'it's probably best we keep an eye on you over night.'

'You say that like I deserve people taking care of me,' Yugi half turned away from him, 'but we both know I don't.'

'Both know you don't what?' Tristan's voice sounded from behind them.

Before anyone could respond to his question, Kaiba had thrown himself into his arms, knocking the firewood he was holding to the ground. Tristan's face instantly filled with an embarrassed look as he shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the others.

'Okay this could be a problem.'

'What's the matter Tristan,' Joey teased, 'you're boyfriend's just trying to show you a little love.'

'Shut up Joey.'

'And here was me thinking you actually wanted proof he cared about you,' he smirked, 'or were all those unrequited puppy-dog looks you send his way just for show?'

Tristan gave a weird little grunt, gritted his teeth and turned his head away. There was something about the expression on his face which suggested some sort of conflict was going on inside of him, which just made Yugi feel confused. The last time he'd been around Tristan his empathic abilities had told him there was no internal conflict for him anymore. Okay, maybe he didn't have the guts to act on his feelings, but he wasn't in conflict over them. People don't emotionally backtrack for no reason, so what had happened to change his resolve?

'So now we've got the firewood, how are we going to light it?' Duke broke the tense silence which had started to form.

'If we had access to our powers it would be easy,' Joey rolled his eyes, 'but a match or a lighter's probably the next best thing.'

'None of us smoke,' Tristan cocked an eyebrow at him, 'so why would any of us have a lighter on us?'

'Because someone took the time to make me pregnant,' he folded his arms, 'so why wouldn't they give us a few more useful things to work with?'

'Good point.'

Instantly everyone began checking their pockets.

'Sorry,' Yugi shook his head, 'mine are empty.'

'Same here,' Tristan pulled a face.

'Well I didn't find anything to light a fire with but…' Duke hesitated.

'But what?' Yugi threw him a curious look.

'Are you okay Duke?' Joey took half a step towards him.

'Yeah...' the word rolled slowly out of him as he began scanning through the deck of cards he was now holding, 'it's just…'

'Just what?'

'This looks like Piper's deck.'

'Who's Piper?'

'She's the... err… the girl Cat kidnapped today,' Duke's voice toned with confusion. 'She's this really good duellist who first appeared about three months ago and Cat kind of convinced herself she was really Téa, or at least her onchasen.'

'What?' Yugi spluttered in surprise. 'Why?'

'Well for a start she's a brunette with blue eyes, she's also a similar build to Téa, although I think she's noticeably taller,' Duke met his gaze. 'It's also to do with the timing, I think; the fact Piper made her first appearance only a few days after Téa ended up in hospital.'

'I see,' Joey pressed his lips together, 'exactly how good a duellist is Piper?'

'One of the best I've ever seen,' he gave an edgy laugh. 'In fact, if it were up to me, I would have been setting up a duel between her and the King of Games, she's more than a match.'

'There's only one duellist who's more than a match for Yugi, what about him?' Tristan glared.

'Actually, the first time I saw Piper duel, I asked her if she wanted a match against Kaiba, but she refused point blank,' Duke pulled a face. 'Now that I think about it, there was something a little odd about the way she refused.'

'What do you mean?'

'What does it matter, it's all irrelevant really,' Yugi interjected. 'I mean, Téa's no duellist and if this Piper girl's really as good as you say, then…'

'That's what I thought,' Duke nodded, 'but Cat said something about onchasen being able to do things their real life counterparts couldn't.'

'As always she's got really a point there,' Joey sighed. 'Onchasen are a kind of astral projection and astral projections are beings created from our dreams, so it would make sense for Piper to be good at duelling.' A smile of realisation suddenly flickered across his face. 'So that's what you two were talking about earlier.'

'Yeah and I guess she felt as though she was proven right.'

'Wait,' Yugi stared at them, 'does that mean Catilin's found a way to wake Téa up?'

'Yeah, I think she has.'


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

With the axe held between both hands, she turned her gaze towards the darkening horizon. The challengers had barely begun, but already things were starting to get interesting. A small, satisfied little smile curled at her lips as the redhead took up a spot beside her. She knew the other girl had been made for the Master's use, but somehow it felt more like she'd been made just for her.

'When this is over we should celebrate,' she turned her gaze towards the redhead.

'When this is over I'll no longer have a purpose,' the redhead's voice was calm and level, 'I won't exist anymore.'

'I thought that was for the Master to decide.'

'It is.'

'So then maybe he'll decide to let you stay.'

'I'll have no purpose,' the redhead shook her head.

'I didn't think dreams needed to have a purpose.'

'You're right, they don't, but we both know I am more than just a dream. I'm an Unrealm, created to bridge the gap between imagination and reality. I was created for this time and this place. Unrealms who have lost their purpose lose their reason to exist. Unless the Master gives me a new purpose once all this is over, I will have no choice in the matter. My existence will come to an end.'

'I see.'

'This place bridges the same gap I do; it was what inspired the Master to create me.'

'But I thought... You mean the Master didn't create this place himself?'

'No, someone else did, a long time ago when everything was new. It was created as a playground, but the child it was intended for never knew it existed. Not till they were too old and jaded to truly enjoy it. So this whole place had just been sat lost, lonely and forgotten until the Master came along and breathed a whole new life into it. And from that life he created this game and me.'

'I hope he finds a reason to keep you in existence,' she thoughtfully turned her gaze back towards the horizon, 'because I value friendship and I'd like to consider you a friend.'

* * *

'Jay's not back yet,' Catilin's eyes stared out into the rain, 'he should be back by now, shouldn't he?'

'Yeah...' Ahna's gaze followed her friend's, 'but I wouldn't worry too much, knowing him he's probably found shelter somewhere.'

'Mm,' she didn't sound too convinced.

'Do you think it's more than that?'

'I don't know,' she shrugged, 'the airs not telling me anything, remember? I know only what you know.'

'You make it sound like a bad thing.'

'It is for me,' Catilin pulled a face, 'don't you see, without my Calicaccu senses telling me stuff I'm not good for anything.'

'That's not true Cat.'

'Isn't it?

'You managed to work out a possible meaning to that inscription by yourself, didn't you?' Ahna forced a smile.

'Mm, I guess.'

'Look, I don't know about you, but right now I'm cold and tired, so I'm going to try and get some sleep,' Ahna deliberately changed the topic of conversation. 'Maybe you should do the same.'

'But Jay isn't back yet.'

'I know, but like I said, he's probably found shelter somewhere, no doubt somewhere a lot warmer and more inviting than this place. In fact, I bet you anything he'll be back tomorrow morning with a smug little grin on his face because he had a better night sleep than we did.'

'That sounds like him,' Catilin giggled.

'So you'll try to get some sleep with me then, hmm?'

'Mm-hmm,' she nodded, 'I'll try.'

* * *

It was almost pitch black now and the rain beating against them felt hard enough to pierce the skin. If it were up to him, they would have taken shelter in any one of the caves they'd passed in what felt like a never ending cliff walk. But it wasn't up to him, it was up to Mai and she wasn't ready to quit just yet. As they continued to walk the strength of the rain increased and a part of him felt more than grateful Nethher Herin weren't easily bruised.

The rain was so thick and heavy he had to seriously wince against it in order to make Mai out. She couldn't have been more than half a meter ahead of him, but visibility was so low it might as well have been miles. A part of him couldn't help but wonder how she was able to cope with the extreme conditions they were walking in. Then, without warning, she completely disappeared from his sight.

'Mai,' panic filled him as the rain drowned out his voice. 'Mai!'

From out of nowhere, a hand grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him roughly into the shelter of a small cave.

'Alright, you win,' Mai's voice was as miserable as her expression, 'I'm so cold even my eyelashes feel numb. I can't do this; I can't go on anymore,' tears began to roll down her cheeks. 'I tried, I tried, I just want her back so bad, but I can't go on, I can't, it just hurts too much.'

'It's okay,' his face pulled with a look he hoped was sympathetic, 'we'll stay here tonight, you'll warm up again and then we'll go on looking, okay?'

'Okay,' her voice was wearily quiet.

'It's a shame we can't build a fire, or something,' SK found himself glancing around the cave.

'A towel and a dry set of clothes would be nice,' Mai shivered, 'I'm soaked through.'

'Think its worth taking our things off to dry?'

'Yeah, Joey would just love that,' she rolled her eyes. 'I think he'd kill you, if you weren't already dead.'

'Probably,' SK gave a half laugh which didn't quite sound like his own, 'but the alternative is allowing you to catch pneumonia and I think he'd want to kill me for that too.'

'I'd still rather not.'

'Fair enough,' he shrugged, 'I'm not going to force you.'

There were a few long moments of silence.

'SK,' Mai lowered her head, 'do you think I was stupid for making you come out here like this?'

'I don't think you're stupid Mai; I think you're grieving over the loss of your daughter.'

'Loss of my daughter...' her voice sounded pained. 'You... you don't think I'm going to get her back?'

'I...' he hesitated. 'Honestly, I don't know. I want to believe you'll get her back somehow, but right now...'

There was a long muted silence.

'Maybe we should try going back for Covo and Mokuba tomorrow,' Mai's voice was more than dull, 'we shouldn't have split up like that.'

He was just about to agree with her when a bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Almost as soon as they heard the crack of thunder, she appeared before them. Her sea blue eyes sparkled in the dim light of the cave, her thick blonde hair rolled in effortless waves down her back and when she moved her Grecian blue tunic rustle majestically.

'Piida,' SK took a wary step backwards.

'You... you know what happened to my baby, don't you,' Mai half leapt towards the goddess. 'Please... please give her back to me.'

'Uncle was right in his prediction of your reaction to me,' Piida lowered her head slightly. 'For now all I can tell you is that your daughter is safe and you do not need to worry about her.'

'Don't you dare tell me that,' Mai glared. 'She's my daughter, she's supposed to be here,' she pressed her hands against her stomach, 'and she's not. How... how can you tell me not to worry about her? I'm her mother for god sake.'

'Right now, all you are is a player in my uncle's game,' she waved a hand in front of her, causing a glass case holding two duel monsters cards to rise up from the ground. 'If you ever want to see your daughter again, then you'll have to win one of these. Refusing to play means you forfeit and trust me you don't want to live with the consequences of that. So accept my challenge and I will explain the rules.'

* * *

'I almost feel sorry for him,' Fray sighed as he stared down at the card in his hand, 'but rules are rules. One down, two to go.'

* * *

Shivering, Mokuba began rubbing his arms for warmth. The weather was horrible, the forest miserable, he was cold, he was wet and, if it wasn't for Covo, he'd be completely on his own. It was that last thought which made him sigh heavily. There wasn't anything wrong with Covo, of course and considering his current hang-ups he was grateful of anybody's company. The problem was he was worried about his brother and Tristan. What if they were out there somewhere like he was? Or worse, what if they weren't and instead they were at home going out of their minds with worry.

'Are you okay?' Covo frowned at him. 'You're looking a little... pensive?'

'I'm just worried about my brother and Tristan,' he turned his gaze away, 'they have no idea I'm here.'

'Well considering the fact we don't really know where here is, we don't really know we're here right now,' Covo gave an awkward laugh.

'Was that supposed to be some kind of joke?' Mokuba cocked an eyebrow at him.

'Yeah, sorry,' he shifted his gaze away, 'Ahna's always said I have a weird sense of humour. So if you were home right now, what would you be doing?'

'Are you trying to take my mind off of the situation?'

'Am I that transparent?' Covo gave another awkward laugh.

'Just a little bit, yeah.'

'Sorry, but... transparent all I really know how to be right now. I don't really know you well enough for anything else.'

'It's okay; you don't have to try so hard with me.'

'No, see that's where you're wrong,' Covo folded his arms, 'I have to try hard with everybody, because right now I'm the group's one and only outsider. Ahna's fine, she's friends with Catilin and Jay, not to mention the mother of Veronie's son. Okay, things can be a little awkward for her, but she's one of the group. I don't have any of those connections, not yet, so I'm still the outsider. And because of that I have to try hard. I want to be a part of this group, not just because of Ahna but because... because you're all such amazing people and I want to be a part of this exciting little world you all inhabit. I know, selfish or what, right?'

'No, I understand,' Mokuba shifted his gaze away. 'I used to feel that way about Yugi and his friends before I really became a part of their group.'

'So... you'll let me try hard then?'

'Yeah, sure, why not?'


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Somehow between them they'd managed to get a small fire going under the strip of shelter they were all sharing for the night. The warmth and light it gave off was as miserable as the weather they were cowering from, so it was no surprise to him when the others decided to huddle together and attempt to get some sleep. As tired and cold as he felt, Tristan just wasn't ready to join them yet. Several things were really starting to bother him and he was finding it difficult to get his brain to switch off.

His hand reached for the key hung around his neck and he began twisting it in a pensive manner. Yesterday, last night, this morning, he'd been so certain about his own feelings they were literally painful at times. Painful because he too afraid to act on them and then when he had they just became a source of uncomfortable uncertainty for him. But even when he was dreading the consequences of his mindless confessing, he'd still be certain of how he felt. The feelings didn't go away. They didn't change. They didn't suddenly become conflicted. At least not until Kaiba had thrown himself at him like a frightened little child. In that single moment he felt as though someone had reversed time on him.

This... confusion and uncertainty he felt now, was exactly what he'd experienced months ago. It had taken a lot of hard work and determination for him to come to terms with who he was and how he felt; to suddenly feel this confused and uncertain about it again was just wrong. And a part of him couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with Kaiba now having the memory problems which should have been his.

Almost as soon as he began thinking about Kaiba's memory-less state, his friend appeared next to him. For a few long moments there was silence, during which Kaiba rested his head against Tristan's shoulder causing an uncertain spike of fear to move through him.

'Aren't you tired?' Kaiba's voice was small and child-like.

'Not really, aren't you?'

Kaiba shook his head and for a few moments there was silence.

'Your friends are weird,' Kaiba kept his voice low.

'You're telling me,' Tristan gave a soft laugh.

'I don't understand Joey at all, being pregnant isn't a bad thing, is it?'

'Err…' he could feel himself blush slightly, 'yeah, it kind of is when you're a guy.'

'But not when you're a girl,' Kaiba frowned, 'and Joey is a girl.'

Tristan lowered his head and smirked slightly. Kaiba might not remember who he was, but his sense of humour was definitely still there. A part of him understood a little better now what Kaiba meant when he talked about still being able to see his own teenage self in the child-like state.

'If I were you I wouldn't say that to him, he'd probably kill you for it.'

'Why?' A confused look crossed Kaiba's face. 'It's true, she is a girl. I know you keep acting weird around her, does she like to think she's a guy or something?'

'Hang on wait, are you being serious about this,' he frowned.

'Mm,' Kaiba nodded. 'Joey is a girl and so is Yugi, but you treat her like a guy too. Is there some reason why you do that?'

'Err…' Tristan was almost too stunned to think clearly. 'Okay, I... I know you're memory is gone and everything, but that shouldn't affect your eyesight too. Yugi and Joey are both guys.'

'No they're not,' he shook his head, 'they're both girls and they're both blondes too.'

'Wait, what?' He laughed in surprise.

'Am I saying something wrong?'

'N-no,' Tristan shot him a serious look, 'just answer me this and please be honest, when you look at Yugi and Joey what do you see, two guys or two girls?'

'I told you, two girls.'

'Are you sure?'

Kaiba nodded.

'I know this might seem a little... confusing for you, but... when I look at them I see two guys.'

'But they're not guys,' Kaiba stared at him as though he was the one who'd lost his mind. 'I don't see guys, I see girls.'

'I'm not saying you don't, I'm just a little confused is all.'

'I'm sorry,' his face took on a miserable expression, 'I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't mean to upset you Seto.'

'Huh?' Tristan's heart stopped dead in his chest.

'I didn't mean to upset you,' like a little boy Kaiba simply repeated the words.

'No, what… what did you call me?'

'Seto,' he grinned, 'your name.'

'But…'

'It is your name,' he nodded insistently, his face rapidly filling with the look of a lost and frightened little boy. 'Your name is Seto. It's the only thing I can remember.'

Kaiba didn't need to say anything else, Tristan knew instinctively he was begging him not to take away the only piece of information he had. It felt weird and uncomfortable, but no more so than anything else to do with this situation.

'Yeah,' Tristan forced a weak smile, 'my name is Seto, it's just that nobody really calls me that.'

'But I do, right?'

'Yeah... you do.'

'So what does everyone else call you?' Kaiba carefully curled himself into him.

'Tristan.'

'But why?'

'Because that's what they believe my name is.'

'Why don't you tell them it isn't?'

'Because…' he swallowed hard, 'because I like being called Tristan.'

'But I don't want to call you Tristan,' Kaiba's voice was small but insistent. 'I want to call you Seto, because that's your real name. Plus, if I'm the only one to call you it, then it makes it special.'

'Okay,' Tristan hesitantly placed an arm around him, 'you can call me Seto, but the others can't know, alright?'

'Why not?'

'Because then they'll want to call me it too.'

'But I don't ever want to call you Tristan.'

'Then don't call me anything. At least not when they're around,' Tristan tried to keep his voice as calm and level as possible. 'Can you do that for me?'

'Uh-huh,' Kaiba nodded.

'Do you want to get some sleep now?'

'Mm,' he gave a heavy and weary sigh as his eyes closed.

For a few long minutes Tristan found himself studying Kaiba. He knew from his own experience there had been times where he'd been able to remember the word Tristan but hadn't known it what it meant, let alone been able to identify it as his own name. Likewise he could think of several occasions where he'd mistaken something for something else because the information he had was scattered and sketchy at best and his empty mind had to make some kind of sense of it. Having said that, there had never been a single occasion where he'd mistakenly called Kaiba by his own name. But considering Kaiba remained his one and only stable memory it would have been a strange mistake to make. Even when he couldn't remember Kaiba's name, he knew it wasn't Tristan. Because Tristan became too meaningless and nonsensical to him to become someone else's name.

But that wasn't the only thing Kaiba had said to make Tristan feel even more uncomfortable with the whole situation than he already was. Slowly his eyes went up towards the others and he found himself studying them as closely as he could. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't see Yugi as anyone other than Yugi or Joey as anyone other than Joey, so why was Kaiba so insistent they were girls? What would anyone have to gain from confusing him like that? That's if he were somehow confused by what he was seeing.

Tristan found himself squirming as even more uncomfortable thoughts began to move through his head. What if Kaiba wasn't the one confused about what he was seeing? After all, he had no memory, no perception of himself and no idea who the others were regardless of what they looked like. There was no need or reason for anyone to show him a falsified image because what he was seeing would make no difference to him. But it would make a huge difference to everyone else. So what if Kaiba was the one seeing things as they really were?

Without him really wanting it to, Tristan's mind filtered back to early thoughts he'd been having. Thought related to the strange and inexplicable back step in his emotional resolve. People didn't go through everything he'd been through just to become confused about what they felt all over again; or at least Tristan hoped they didn't. So if he wasn't the one feeling this emotional confusion, then maybe this was really how Kaiba felt. But did that mean he really was Kaiba or...?

He knocked all thoughts aside and forced himself to look deep inside the confusing mess of emotions in search of the one thing which would make him certain these were his own. It might have been buried beneath everything else, but it was there. Unfortunately for him finding it failed to make him any more certain about who he was. Instead he gave a heavy sigh and leant his head back against the stone behind him. There was definitely something going on here beyond the obvious, but exactly what it was was currently beyond him. It was time for him to get some sleep and hope the light of a new day revealed what was really going on.

* * *

Exhausted and quivering with fear, Mai fell onto all fours. Her challenge had taxed her both emotionally and physically, leaving her feeling completely and utterly drained. But at least it was over now and even though she hadn't won her daughter back just yet, she had passed.

'Congratulations,' Piida's voice held some warmth to it as the Howling Wolf card landed just in front of Mai's hands, 'it's just a shame your friend didn't have such good luck.'

'What do you mean?' Mai eyes lifted towards the goddess.

'I'm sorry, but he lost his challenge,' Piida held up the Laughing Hyena card for Mai to see.

'No,' she shook her head, 'but… but how?'

'That doesn't matter.'

'Where... where is he? Where is SK?'

'He's somewhere safe.'

'That's not an answer.'

'I know you think I'm being cruel and cold about this,' she knelt down in front of Mai, 'but I promise you, my uncle doesn't want to hurt any of you. He simply wants to prove which of our villages is best suited to raising Mortal Immortals.'

'By playing games with us?' Mai gritted her teeth. 'How does playing games prove anything?'

'You have to think outside of that little box you're in,' she shook her head and half turned away from her. 'Think about what your challenge got you to face. What this situation is making you face. All this, it's all about something; you just have to figure out what it is. And once you've figure out the point to this game of my uncle's, then you'll have proven your village is better than ours.'

'And when we do you'll put my daughter back where she belongs?' She met and held the goddess's gaze.

'She already is where she belongs.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

For a few seconds there was silence, then the goddess simply vanished from sight. A mixture of fear, anguish and frustration moved through her as she stared into the space Piida had formally occupied. Then she gave a heavy sigh and picked up the Howling Wolf card from the ground in front of her.

'Joey,' Mai's voice was low as her figures carefully traced over the card, 'I really need you right now,' tears rolled slowly down her face. 'I miss you,' with the card still in her hand, she wrapped her arms around her empty stomach. 'I miss you.'


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Joey was starting to understand now why Mai always woke up in such a bad mood. All night Jo had been moving or kicking or doing something, stopping him from getting a proper amount of sleep. On top of that his whole body felt tired and heavy as it ached against the weight of itself. He wouldn't recommend being pregnant to anyone and he certainly didn't want to continue being pregnant himself.

'How you feeling?' Duke's voice was little more than an early morning whisper.

'I don't envy pregnant women,' Joey groaned as he opened his eyes.

'Shh,' with a slight smirk on his face, Duke placed a finger over his lips, 'the others aren't awake yet.'

'And?'

Duke pointed towards the fire and Joey's eyes followed. He wasn't sure if he was disconcerted or amused to see Kaiba curled up asleep in Tristan's arms, but it definitely wasn't a sight which would have him jumping for joy anytime soon.

'Aw, don't they make a cute couple,' Joey rolled his eyes.

'You don't approve?' Duke studied him for a moment.

'I know Tristan's changed a lot in the last year or so, but he's still my friend and I still worry about him,' he shifted his gaze away. 'I don't want to see him get hurt.'

'You think this situation would end badly for them?'

'It depends on who those feelings belong to; Kaiba or the Pure. And... that's when things get complicated for me.'

'What do you mean?'

'Do you have any idea what it's like having the Pure's older sister in the back of my head? I'm here worrying about Tristan and she's worrying about the Pure, it gets confusing.'

'Speaking of the First, I've been meaning to ask; what does she make of this situation?'

'I... err... I don't know,' Joey squirmed, 'I've not been able to talk to her since we arrived.'

'What do you mean; you've not been able to talk to her? You just said...'

'The First has been worrying about that whole possible scenario since she found out Tristan was a Win part,' Joey rolled his eyes and shook his head. 'She has this... _need_ to look out for both of her sisters all the time, especially the Pure. I know she's not the most... emotionally invested being in the multiverse, but when it comes to her sisters the First's feelings are always strong and clear. And at times it can make things a little... uncomfortable for me, because... well...' he gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, 'her sisters aren't actually my sisters.'

'I see... I think,' Duke frowned at him. 'So you haven't been able to contact her at all since we arrived then?'

'No,' Joey shook his head, before reaching his hands up to Duke, 'do you mind?'

'Ah... sure,' Duke took hold of his hands and helped him up.

'I seriously don't know how Mai does it; I mean, I've been pregnant for less than a day and I'm already wishing it was over.'

'I'm sure it's not that bad.'

'You want to switch places and find out?'

'I think I'll pass,' Duke's face filled with a wry smile, 'after all I don't have the hips for it.'

'And you're saying I do?'

'What's going on?' The sudden sound of Yugi's voice made Joey start more than a little.

'Nothing,' Duke shrugged as they both turned towards him.

'I was thinking about what you said last night,' Yugi yawned, stretched and pulled himself to his feet, 'about Piper I mean. Do you really think she was Téa's onchasen?'

'To be honest, I really don't know. I mean, if you asked me that before I found the deck in my pocket, I would have said yes.'

'But now you're not so sure?'

'Unless Téa has something to do with this whole mess, I'd be more than willing to bet she and Piper are probably two entirely different entities.'

'So you don't think Téa will be awake when we get back?'

'Sorry,' he shook his head.

'I guess I'll just have to go back to waiting then,' Yugi gave a heavy sigh.

'Hey Yuug, just out of curiosity, what does the Face of Friendship make of that?' Joey indicated towards Kaiba and Tristan.

'Uh...' Yugi shifted awkwardly, 'I'm not totally sure what her current opinion is, I haven't spoken to her in a while...'

'You haven't spoken to her in a while?' Joey cut him off. 'How long is a while?'

'I... I'm not totally sure, she... we... haven't really been speaking since just before the whole Re incident happened. I mean... just before... whilst I was becoming Re... we just... stopped speaking. Not that we really spoke all that much before, she's not overly talkative when she doesn't need to be.'

'Yeah, that was the impression the First gave me about her too,' Joey folded his arms. 'I suppose when your sisters have such dominating personalities it's hard to compete. But... out of interest... could you try asking her what her opinion is now?'

'Why?'

'Call it general curiosity. I mean, I know what the First thinks about...' he indicated towards Tristan and Kaiba again, 'but I want to know if the Face of Friendship agrees or not.'

'Okay,' Yugi half closed his eyes for a moment. 'I can't contact her,' he frowned.

'I didn't think so,' Joey pressed his lips together, 'it's the same with me and the First. I've not been able to reach her since we came to this place.'

'What do you think it means?'

'I'm not sure,' Joey frowned as he spotted someone familiar looking in the distance, 'but I think I know how to find out.'

Without explaining himself to the others, he took off in the direction of the approaching figure. He could hear them calling after him in confusion, but this just caused him to pick up speed. Walking might have been awkward and uncomfortable, but he was determined to reach his target as quickly as possible.

'Hello Sta,' Joey kept his voice as curt as possible, 'I should have known one of you would show up sooner or later.'

'You say that as though we gods can't be trusted,' Sta's face filled with an insincere but toothy smile.

'You can't. Not after everything you've put me and my family through.'

'And here I was hoping you weren't the type to hold a grudge,' he chuckled, 'oh well, it doesn't really bother me one way or another what you think, my brother on the other hand...'

'What about him?' Joey narrowed his gaze.

'This is all his work, a little way of proving which village is better, yours or ours.'

'Village?' He frowned.

'My brother's words, not mine. Something to do with it taking a village to raise a child or some such nonsense. Can't saying I was paying much attention myself; all I really cared about was getting the chance to test you.'

Sta waved an arm in front of himself and a glass case holding a duel monsters card rose up out of the ground.

'Mai,' Joey's jaw dropped in horror when he saw the card, 'what did you do to her?'

'I didn't do anything to her,' Sta chuckled again, 'I told you, this is all my brother's work. Can't say I totally understand its purpose myself, but... Worthiness should always be challenged and tested. I spend my entire existence testing myself against Du, never giving up no matter what the odds. Even if I never beat him, I will remain worthy just for trying. That's the code we Wen live by. Your village has to prove its worthy because, compared to the realities you will be faced with, this little game of my brother's is nothing but a simple test.'

* * *

'How did you convince me to wake up so early again?' Ahna groaned as they continued their search for Jay.

'You should be used to early mornings by now.'

'Why exactly?'

'Because you have a baby silly,' she giggled.

'A baby who now sleeps peacefully through the night and actually enjoys sleeping in,' Ahna stretched, 'okay, maybe I'm still up earlier than most, but this is just ridicules.'

'I'm sorry, but... I'm worried about Jay,' Catilin came to a very sudden stop. 'This is a long way away from the henge now, it doesn't feel right.'

'I wouldn't worry Cat, he's probably doing this on purpose, you know what he's like.'

'I wish I could be so sure, but... I still can't sense anything.'

'Look, I'm sure he's fine,' Ahna forced a smile onto her face.

'Your eyes say you're lying. I may not be able to see the air move anymore, but I still know you Ahna. I know what your eyes look like when you lie; you think something bad might have happened to him.'

'No... no that's not it, it's just...'

'I'm not a little kid Ahna, you can tell me what's wrong,' Catilin's face was a serious as her voice.

It's just... this place... it's really starting to frighten me. I mean, you're right, not even Jay would wonder off this far just for a laugh. Something has to be wrong. Maybe something happened to him in the storm last night I don't know, it's just...' she lowered her gaze, 'what if what ever got him got Crovell too? If anything bad's happened to him I'll never be able to forgive myself.'

'This isn't your fault Ahna,' Catilin placed a hand on her shoulder, 'you didn't make this happen.'

'Then why do I feel like it is? Why do I feel so guilty?'

'Because you're a good Mummy and good mummies don't like it when bad things happen to their babies.'

'I wish I could be as sure about it as you are, but... it's just so hard...'

'Don't worry Ahna, everything will be okay,' Catilin's face filled with a weak smile.

'Look at me,' Ahna gave a choked laugh, 'I'm supposed to be the one reassuring you, not the other way around.'

'I told you Ahna, I'm not a little kid,' she grinned. 'We should get going again now, because we can't make everything alright again just standing around here.'

'No, you're right, we can't. So what are we waiting for?'

'What we're always waiting for,' Catilin sounded strangely poignant, 'faith.'


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

'How far ahead of us could they possibly have gotten in that storm?' Mokuba groaned after they'd been walking for about an hour.

'Well, with the way Mai was acting last night, it wouldn't surprise me if they were miles ahead of us by now.'

'But I don't want to walk for miles _again_ today,' he shook his head, 'I'm pretty sure I did that yesterday.'

'It can't be helped Mokuba,' Covo shot him a sympathetic look, 'and, to be honest, I more concerned with whether or not we're on the right path.'

'Oh you're on the right path alright,' a gentle voice sounded from behind them.

Turning round, they saw a beautiful green eyed brunette on the path a few feet away from them.

'Mov,' automatically Covo made the sign of respect for the Fay.

'Please don't stand on ceremony,' she held up a hand towards him, 'not when I am about to be so cruel.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean I'm about to issue you with a challenge,' she sighed, 'and if my uncle's predictions are correct it's a challenge neither one of you will be able to succeed with. I understand his motives and I agree this is the best way of testing you all, but that doesn't make me feel any more comfortable with this situation. I have no head for cruelty.'

'Uh... okay,' Covo wasn't sure what to make of her words.

'I'm glad you understand,' she lowered her head slightly. 'Now let us begin,' she waved a hand in front of herself, causing a glass case to rise up out of the ground. 'The cards inside the case are the Lioness Knightess and Jack of Dice; soul cards, obviously.'

'Ahna,' Covo's insides turned cold, 'but…?'

'I told you I was about to be cruel, but don't worry the souls these cards are attached to are perfectly safe and no matter what happens here they will remain safe, my uncle has assured me of that.'

'What do you want from us?'

'I told you, I'm here to issue you with a challenge,' she folded her arms, 'and it is a challenge you must accept if you have any hopes of proving your village's ability to raise children.'

'What? Mokuba frowned. 'Since when were we a village?'

'I think I understand what she means,' Covo met and held Mov's gaze. 'This is all about that saying, isn't it? It takes a village to raise a child. This is all about us proving we have what it takes to take care of Jo and Crovell.'

'Exceptional children need exceptional villages to raise them,' Mov's choice of words were almost covert, as if she wasn't quite answering his question. 'My uncle wants to prove your village is exceptional.'

'Okay, I've no problem with accepting your challenge then.'

'Even though you've been predicted to lose?'

'Will me losing here affect whether or not our village is considered worthy?' Covo studied her for a moment.

'No,' she shook her head, 'it simply means your inner turmoil is not something you need to overcome right now.'

'What?'

'Every member of your village is suffering from inner turmoil. For some of you its having a large impact on your lives, for others the impact is so minimal they may not even realise it exists at all. The challenge each of you are faced with at this stage reflects your own personal turmoil, but not all of you need to overcome this turmoil right now in order to prove your village can cope with children of great power.'

'So only those who need to overcome their inner turmoil sooner rather than later will be able to succeed in their challenge?' Covo tilted his head in thought.

'Yes,' she nodded, 'and those of you unable to overcome your turmoil now will have the opportunity to face it again later, either through later stages of the game or once the game is over. Do you understand?'

'Yeah, I think so.'

'What about you?' Mov glanced towards Mokuba.

'Yeah,' he gave a numb little nod, 'I think I understand.'

'Good,' a small smile pulled at her lips, 'as soon as you accept, the challenge shall begin.'

* * *

Almost as soon as Joey had accepted Sta's _challenge_, he found himself stood on a cliff in the middle of nowhere. The skies above him were dark and threatening, reminding him almost of the Shadow Realm. From his cliff top vantage point he felt like he was staring out across a desert and even the ground below him was covered in a heavy kind of dry sand. As he continued to stand there, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, a strong wind whipped sand around him, forcing him to move back from the edge of the cliff.

The first strong wind was followed by a second, then a third, eventually turning into one hell of a sandstorm. With little else Joey could do he ran for shelter, pulling himself into small cliff top cave. Once inside he found himself staring out at the sandstorm, trying to figure out why the sight of it made him feel so uncomfortable. That's when it happened; a sharp ripple of pain moved through his stomach causing him to cry out. Before he even had the chance to figure out what the hell the feeling might be a second, then a third ripple of pain moved through him.

'No, no, no, no, no,' he pressed his back against the cave wall and sunk to the ground, 'please don't say there's something wrong, please.'

Several more ripples of pain moved through him. There was something strangely regular about the timing, but either his brain couldn't comprehend what was happening or it simply didn't want to.

'Please don't let there be something wrong,' he wrapped his arms around his bump feeling more than a little distressed now, 'please.'

'Why would there be anything wrong,' a voice sounded to the far right of him, 'you're daughter is just telling you she's ready to be born now.'

Joey turned towards the speaker and spotted a striking looking girl with long red hair. The expression on her face was as calm as her speaking voice had been and clearly she didn't see anything wrong with this situation.

'No,' he shook his head, 'she's not ready to be born yet, it's too soon.'

'A child will be born when it needs to be born,' the girl wagged a figure at him, 'didn't you learn anything from Mov? You can't change the date of a child's birth; they will always be born when they're meant to be born.'

'But... but she can't come now,' he swallowed hard as another ripple of pain moved through him. 'I can't be the one giving birth to her.'

'Why not?'

'Because I'm not a woman, I don't have the… the... err... I... I just can't, okay.'

'You're afraid, aren't you,' the girl was suddenly knelt in front of him. 'I hear it's natural to be afraid when you're about to give birth. It's okay; it will all be over soon enough.'

'No... no it won't, because she can't come out. Don't you get it? There's nowhere for her to come out. I can't give birth to her.'

'We could always cut her out,' the redhead shifted her gaze to one side. 'Of course, I'm not doctor so you'll probably die, but surely that's a risk worth taking in order for your daughter to live, right?'

'I...' Joey found himself staring at the redhead, not totally sure how he felt about what she was suggesting.

'Your partner will be more than capable of taking care of your daughter, right?' The redhead's face filled with a strange smile. 'She doesn't need both of her parents and it would be a noble sacrifice.'

'But... but it's not what I want for my children,' he shook his head, 'I don't want them to grow up without me.'

'Not what you want for your children or not what you want for yourself,' she challenged him. 'Not wanting them to grow up without you sounds pretty selfish to me.'

'I...'

'You know if you delay this much longer your daughter will probably die.'

'What?'

'Children are born when they need to be born because sometimes staying inside is more dangerous than coming out. Just think about it, your body is trying to expel her for a reason.'

'But its too early for her to be born, she might die even if she did come out now.'

'But if she's born, she'll at least have a fighting chance,' the redhead folded her arms, 'and at least then you won't be responsible for killing her.'

'Jo…' Joey found himself staring down at his swollen stomach as another ripple of pain hit. 'I don't want her to die, believe me I don't, but I physically can't do this. I can't give birth.'

'Then let me cut her out,' she placed her hands on Joey's arms. 'Okay, so you'll probably die if I do, but at least she'd have more of a fighting chance and at the end of the day isn't that all that matters? Isn't she the most important person in all this? What does it matter if she has one parent or two parents or a million people to take care of her if she's dead? It's a parent's job to put the life of their child before their own.'

'I... I know it is... but I... I want...'

'You want to have your cake and eat it too,' the redhead smirked at him, 'I understand, but you have a choice here. Her future or yours, what's it going to be?'

'Why... why is this happening? Why are you making me go through this?' Joey stared at the redhead. 'This isn't how things are supposed to be.'

'They haven't been since the past was altered,' her voice was calm and level. 'You can change the date of a person's death, but that doesn't mean a death won't occur anyway; you should understand that much by now, right?'

'Of course I do,' he glared at her, 'don't you think I've been able to think of anything else since my life was saved? I constantly feel like I'm on borrowed time and at any moment...' he hesitated as he stared down at the bump again, 'that at any moment I'll be asked to give my life up. That's what's happening now, isn't it? I'm being asked to give my life up because my borrowed time is at an end. My daughter is not supposed to have both of her parents, is she?'

'Does that mean you're going to let me cut her out?'

'Yes,' he met and held her gaze, 'please, do whatever it takes, just save my daughter.'


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Mai had cried herself to sleep the night before, so the fact she'd woken up feeling drained and strangely absent from herself was no surprise. But with the light of a new day on her she found she wasn't wallowing in her own misery anymore. Her challenge had forced her to confront her own fears and even though she still felt empty and alone, she was also more determined than ever to get her daughter back.

With SK gone she felt it was best to wait for the others to catch up to her. After all, it was safer for all of them to move as a group, especially when none of them knew the rules to this little game.

'You can't sit around here all day you know,' the sound of Piida's voice made her jump.

'I'm waiting for Covo and Mokuba,' she glanced towards the goddess.

'Then you'll be waiting for a very long time,' she folded her arms, 'they're not coming for you. No one is.'

'But…'

'Look, the two you split from yesterday are in the middle of their own challenges right now and it's unlikely that they'll pass.'

'I passed.'

'Yes and that's exactly why my uncle has sent me here to get you moving again,' Piida smirked slightly. 'He's made predictions about who will and who won't pass their challenges and so far he's been right on every count. So I've been sent here to move you on.'

'Sent by who?' Mai frowned. 'Your uncle?'

'No, by the little bit he has watching over the game for him,' Piida tilted her head to one side. 'He needed a completely neutral party to act as Game Master and we all agreed she would be a suitable choice. So far she has more than proved her worth to us, which is why I have no hesitations about following her orders.'

'I see,' Mai found herself studying the goddess. 'You know you're really not acting like someone who wants to win this little game of your uncle's.'

'I want what's best for the children,' she pressed her lips together, 'in our own way we all do. This little game might be a strange way of testing you all, but compared to the real world...'

'Compared to the real world this is a walk in the park,' Mai sighed. 'That's what you were going with, right? Well I've had easier walks I can tell you that right now.'

'I know. Just do me a favour and get moving will you? The others won't be able to find you here and all those who've won their soul cards need to be together in order for the next stage of the game to begin.'

'Okay, I'll get moving, but on one condition,' she sucked a sharp breath in, 'if you're wrong about Covo and Mokuba and they do pass their challenges, tell them I've kept moving, will you?'

'I promise to pass the message on to your former companions,' she nodded, 'now please, move on.'

* * *

For a while now there had been complete and utter silence between Catilin and Ahna. Ahna wasn't sure why conversation had dropped between them, but if she had to take an educated guess she'd have said it was something to do with the weight of their situation fully dawning on them. This place was so vast it almost made you feel hopeless and lonely. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if there was something deliberate about that.

'You know, no language at all is almost as bad as language used badly,' without warning a voice sounded all around them, causing them both to stop in their tracks.

'We're not in the mood for you Fray,' Ahna found herself glaring up at the sky.

'Well then you're defiantly not getting rid of me now,' in a swirl of wind the majestic deity appeared before them, 'don't you know I love being around people who are not in the mood for me? Just ask my wife.'

'Your wife's never in the mood for anyone,' Catilin giggled, 'she's always so serious and you're not. Not always anyway, right?'

'What can I say, when you're the God of Creativity it's hard to be serious all the time,' he posed for a moment. 'Unfortunately this is not one of those times I get to be carefree,' he waved an arm in front of himself, causing a glass case to appear, 'because I have a challenge for you.'

'Those are Yugi and Covo's soul cards,' Ahna eyed up the cards in the case, 'does that mean…'

'No,' Fray cut her off, 'I assure you, it does not mean what you think it means. And trust me, as a telepath I know exactly what you're thinking.'

'Then what does it mean?' Catilin pressed her hands against the glass as she peered in at the cards.

'You know I'm almost disappointed none of you've been able to work this out for yourselves so far,' Fray shook his head. 'If I were to say to you it takes a village to raise a child would you understand what I mean and agree with it?'

'Uh-huh,' Catilin nodded before Ahna had a chance to answer, 'this is about Crovell and Jo, isn't it? You want us to prove we're the best people to look after them, right?'

'Interesting, my uncle said that would be your response. He wasn't quite sure why you would be the one to get it, but... somehow he knew it would be you.'

'Are you trying to tell me this really is all some kind of game then?' Ahna studied the god for a moment.

'Yes and one made up of several stages. The first is a challenge with these cards as your prize. If you manage to successfully complete your individual challenges then you will be able to move on to the next stage of the game with all the others who have been successful.'

'Is that what happened to Jay? Did you challenge him too?'

'I challenged your companion,' Fray's choice of words were strangely careful, 'because of the way you've all been dispersed I ended up with three targets whereas my father only ended up with one.'

'So you don't challenge everyone then?'

'Hardly,' he gave an amused half laugh, 'six of us, to twelve of you.'

'What happens if one of us wins and the other doesn't?'

'All spare cards go to my uncle. After all, this is his game.'

'And once we've won our cards we get to move on to the next stage of this game, right?' Ahna continued to study him, although she wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for.

'Yes.'

'And what exactly is this next stage?'

'I'm not allowed to say,' Fray casually turned away from them. 'So will you accept my challenge or not?'

'We will,' Ahna nodded, 'but first you've got to tell us one thing; did Jay win, or lose?'

* * *

'He can't have just disappeared,' Duke stared around the wide open space they were in. 'I mean, he's pretty hard to miss and there's nowhere around here to hide.'

'You don't think anything happened to him, do you?' Yugi bit his lip.

'That's what I'm worried about.'

'Maybe we should go back and wake the other two up. If there are more of us it'll be easier to search, don't you think?'

'It sounds like a plan to me,' he nodded in agreement, 'I just wish I knew what drove him out here in the first place.'

The pair of them turned and began heading back towards the pink stone structure, which was almost out of view by this point. They'd barely taken two steps when a rather scared looking Joey appeared, lying on the path in front of them. His right arm was covering his eyes and in his hand he clutched a single duel monsters card.

'Joey?' Yugi stared at him in surprise.

In slow disbelief, his friend lowered his arm and blinked up at them in confusion.

'The pain is gone,' Joey's voice was low as he turned his gaze towards his still bulging stomach, 'I must have passed,' he gave a relieved half laugh. 'I passed and she's okay.'

'Joey, what the hell are you babbling about?' Duke frowned.

'I passed my challenge,' he grinned, 'which means,' he stared down at the duel monsters card he was holding, 'I get to move onto the next stage.'

'Okay…' he cocked an eyebrow, 'I thought I asked you to explain what the hell you were babbling on about, not continue to babble on about it.'

'Mind helping me to my feet?' Joey rolled his eyes as he reached his hands up towards them. 'Only I'm not sure I'm really allowed to explain what I mean.'

'Is that code for you don't want to tell us?'

'That's not it.'

'Then why not just tell us?'

'Because I really don't think I can. Now are you going to help me to my feet or not?'

'Fine,' Duke rolled his eyes, before stretching a hand down towards Joey.

'So where are the _lovebirds_?' Joey stretched out the word to emphasise his sarcastic use of it as he allowed himself to be pulled up.

'Still asleep,' Duke shrugged, 'we figured we'd catch up to you faster if we didn't have to wake them first.'

'Are you sure it wasn't just because you wanted to save them any embarrassment,' Joey's tone remained distasteful.

'You took off pretty fast for a pregnant guy and we really didn't think we should leave you alone,' Yugi shook his head. 'We genuinely didn't think about waking them first.'

'Whatever, we really should head back there now. How far away are we anyway?'

'Take a look for yourself,' Yugi pointed.

'Oh my gods, you've got to be kidding me,' Joey's draw dropped open.

'Sorry,' he threw him a sympathetic look.

'Its going to take us ages to get back there.'

'I know,' Duke started walking again, 'so we'd better get moving.'


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

As Tristan found himself slowly coming round, he became more than aware of the fact he was being watched. Knowing he was in a somewhat compromising position, he felt his insides squirm and the same confusing blast of emotions he'd felt the day before came back to him in spades.

'You know it's rude to stare, right?' He groaned as he opened his eyes.

'We're not staring, we're waiting for you to wake up, there's a difference.'

The unfamiliar voice caused Tristan to start slightly as he turned his gaze towards the pair casually stood a couple of feet away. They were both dressed in purple and white Egyptian styled kilts and were roughly the same height and build. But that was where the obvious similarities between them ended.

'In case you're wondering, I'm Peri and he's Seteau,' the one with dark hair and even darker eyes was the first to speak. 'You'd be surprised how many people still get that the wrong way round.'

'You're the Mortal Gods, aren't you?' Tristan found himself studying them. 'The Two Lovers. The only deities of the Tenth Order allowed on the Mortal Plains.'

'It's because we're not blood,' Seteau shrugged as he casually examined his surroundings.

'Well that's debatable really, isn't it?' Tristan carefully got to his feet, waking Kaiba in the process. 'You were... marked out by the gods for a reason Seteau; they wanted you to change the direction mortality was moving in so they had a hand in your existence.'

'Ah, so you do know our story, how interesting. When exactly did you learn it?'

'I...' Tristan hesitated as a part of him realised he couldn't remember learning about it, he just kind of knew. 'I don't know, but I guess I must have learnt it from Win.'

'You don't sound so sure about that,' Peri's gaze gave him a slow once over. 'You know things aren't quite right, don't you? When he said things for the two of you would be different, he wasn't just talking about him,' he indicated towards Kaiba.

'What?' Tristan frowned. 'What are you talking about?'

In response Peri waved a hand in front of himself and a glass case rose up from the ground. As Tristan remained in place staring at the case, Kaiba got to his feet and moved towards it.

'Hey cool,' he laughed, 'I like the one with the knight on it.'

'Knight?'

Tristan's frown deepened as he joined his friend at the side of the case. Inside was two duel monster cards; one the Blue Eyes Knight, the other completely blank.

'No,' Tristan's head swarmed as his heart pounded sickly in his chest, 'this... this isn't happening. How... how can it be blank?'

'You should know the answer to that,' Seteau's voice was firm but compassionate, 'it was destroyed, remember? The Sharpshooter doesn't exist anymore and nothing has formed to take its place. Nothing can.'

'Nothing can?' Tristan stared at him. 'You mean if I were to lose to someone using a Light to Shadows card it would have no consequences for me anymore?'

'Who knows,' Peri shrugged, 'that's not really our concern. What is our concern is that you accept our challenge.'

'The rules will be different for you,' Seteau picked up, 'because his condition means it's impossible to test him fairly at this time you will be competing on his behalf throughout this little game. Not everybody was happy agreeing to this but... everything for you will be slightly different, although I am not permitted to go into more details than that.'

'Why not?'

'Because it concerns things which have not happened yet and still may not happen. And now I have reached the limit of what I can tell you so please don't probe the situation any further.'

'This conversation is just wasting time anyway,' Peri folded his arms, 'we're supposed to be telling you about the challenge.'

'The challenge?'

'It's the first stage of this game you and the others are playing. Once you accept you will be faced with a challenge which will test you. Although, from what we have seen of the other players' challenges success and failure is about as straight forward as the situations themselves.'

'What happens if I am successful?' Tristan studied Peri for a moment.

'Then you will have won both soul cards and the two of you will move on to the next stage of the game.'

'And if I fail?'

'The cards become ours and we move on,' Seteau positioned himself beside Peri. 'The same is true if you decide to forfeit as well.'

'So it's in my best interest to accept?'

'Yes.'

'Okay,' Tristan pulled himself into a stance of defiance, 'I'm ready, so bring it on.'

* * *

Mai found herself walking through a lonely and desolate field. Well maybe desolate wasn't quite the right word for it. For some reason desolate always made her think of dry and barren landscapes and this one was actually fairly green and luscious, even if it did go on forever. She must have been across walking for a good hour when she spotted a strange looking structure in the distance and that wasn't all she spotted. About halfway between where she currently was and the structure itself were three slowly moving figures. Instantly she started picking up pace. It didn't matter to her who these people were or why they were there, she knew she had to get to them and quickly.

It didn't take her long to pick out recognisable features from all three figures. These small little details made her heart pound with excitement as her feet moved effortlessly into a run.

'Joey,' the words burst out of her as she flew towards him.

Her shout was loud enough to cause the figures to halt. Without waiting to see if they managed to spot her or not, she lowered her head and closed the gap between them.

'Mai?' Joey laughed in surprise as she skidded to a halt.

'Joey I've…'was as far as she managed to get as her gaze lifted towards him and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. 'Joey you're pregnant.'

'And you're not,' he rolled his eyes, 'tell me something I don't know.'

'Jo,' a strange kind of relief flooded through her as she dropped to her knees and wrapt her arms around his bulging stomach, 'I was scared I'd lost you. But don't worry, Daddy'll keep you safe for now, but Mummy will work out a way to get you back in her, promise.'

'Yeah,' Joey mimicked her tone, 'and then Mummy'll give birth to you and say yes to marrying Daddy and everything will be right with the world.'

His words caused a mixture of joy and grief to run through her. She wasn't totally sure she understood where the feelings had come from, but when combined with everything she'd been through it caused her to burst into tears.

'Hey, hey what's wrong?' Joey stroked the hair back from her face as he awkwardly knelt down to comfort her.

'I was so scared,' she sobbed, shaking her head, 'I was so scared I'd lost her forever. And all I kept thinking about was how much I'd let you down.'

'You didn't let me down Mai, how could you?'

'Joey I thought I'd lost our baby.'

'I know.'

'I was so afraid you'd hate me for that; I know how much you wanted to get to know Jo after everything she did for you.'

'Mai I could never hate you,' he cupped her face, 'not for something that wasn't your fault.'

'I missed you,' Mai threw her arms around his neck, 'I missed you so much. I thought when you saw me without her you'd never want to speak to me again. I was just so afraid.'

'Mai…' Joey held her as tenderly as his bulge would allow, 'it's okay, please don't cry. I know you must have been going through hell, but it's alright now. And we'll fix this thing soon, I promise.'

'I missed you,' she tearfully kissed him, 'I missed you so much.'

'I know,' he kissed her back, 'I missed you too. I love you Mai. I'd do anything for you, you know that. Even give birth to our child if I have to.'

'I know,' she gave a choked sounding laugh.

'There's no need to cry, okay?'

'Oh Joey,' she sniffed, 'I really do love you.'

'I know.'

As she gazed into his eyes she realised she'd never felt more in love with him than she did in that moment. It was weird, all the fears and insecurities she had about Ahna and Crovell's importance in his life suddenly disappeared and it became impossible for her to imagine him being in love with anyone but her. In fact she'd never felt more certain of his feelings. She found herself kissing him again, before burying her face in his neck.

'Joey,' the words breathed out of her, 'marry me.'


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

'I passed,' Catilin's whole being filled with confusion as she found herself back in the field she'd started in, 'but I don't… I don't understand...'

It was hard to explain, but from the moment her challenge had started something had felt wrong with it. The imagery she was faced with was out of place and it was almost as if she was staring into the face of someone else's demons. Yet at the same time the feelings it invoked in her felt like her own, but she couldn't remember feeling that way about them before.

'Duel Soul,' she stared down at the soul card she was holding, 'you belong to Yugi, so why did I win you? Were those his demons just now? Did I win you because those were his demons? I don't...' she shook her head, 'I don't understand.'

The card stared silently back at her, making no attempt at a reply. Catilin sighed and glanced around for Ahna, as she did her old friend appeared out of nowhere. Laughing at the happy coincidence, Catilin leapt towards her and threw her arms around her.

'You passed.'

'Yeah, I guess I did,' she laughed in relief as she pushed Catilin off her and stared down at the card she was holding. 'Covo…'

'Ahna...' Catilin hesitated.

'What is it?' Ahna glanced up at her.

'Was... was your challenge like you thought it would be?'

'Uh... yes and no,' she shifted her gaze away. 'I mean, it matched up to what I've been feeling since I got here, but...'

'It felt like you were chasing someone else's demons, right?' Catilin wrapped her arms around herself.

'What are you thinking Cat?' Ahna's eyes lifted to study her carefully.

'I don't... I don't know,' she turned, 'I don't understand anything right now. It all feels... wrong and... and not just because the air is so still anymore or because I have a tattoo and you don't. Everything feels wrong. Look,' she held her soul card towards Ahna, 'this is Yugi's, why do I have Yugi's?'

'You're his Win, aren't you?'

'But I don't love him, I love Duke. So shouldn't I have Duke's card right now? Why do I have his? Why am I connected to him when I should be connected to Duke? I don't understand.'

'You being _in love_ with Duke doesn't make him more connected to you by default. You're still Yugi's Win... at least I think you are,' Ahna frowned. 'I've always made that assumption because of Lillyannu and Yoam, but I guess Mokuba could be Yugi's Win. Although if that was the case I'm not sure you'd be the one holding Yugi's card right now, so I guess logic dictates that you are Yugi's Win.'

'But I don't want to be Yugi's Win and I don't want to face his demons for him, it doesn't make sense.'

'Face his demons for him?' Ahna shook her head in confusion.

'Mm, I think those were his demons just now, because they didn't look like mine. Well... they did look like mine, but they didn't feel like mine.'

'You have demons?' There was something about Ahna's tone which suggested she might be joking, but the delivery was as lame as the attempted joke itself.

'I'm a Calicaccu who can't remember her childhood,' she lowered her voice, 'of course I have demons. You know I have demons, but I always try to be brave and face them head on.'

'I know, I'm sorry, you just act so carefree most of the time it's hard to remember you actually worry about things,' Ahna placed a hand on her shoulder. 'I also know you're not always brave when it comes to facing them, unless of course you're about to tell me you have an allergy to doctors.'

'Well duh, of course I do,' Catilin poked her tongue out. 'We should get moving now, right?'

'That's exactly what I was thinking,' Ahna scanned the horizon. 'So, which way do you want to go?'

* * *

The first thing he became aware of was the sharp snapping of camera shutters, accompanied by blinding flashes. His eyes lifted to a sea of reporters stood in what appeared to be one of Kaiba Corps larger press rooms. For a few long seconds the snapping of camera shutters was the only noise in the entire room, then a wall of overlapping voices hit him like a crashing wave. It was unnervingly surreal, but all he could do was stand there and wonder what the hell had happened to Kaiba.

As his eyes glanced around the conference room, he spotted two members of Kaiba Corp PR department stood not too far behind him and the glass top podium in front of him. All these little details did was add to the complete and utterly nuts surrealism of the situation. It was finding yourself sitting a test you didn't know was coming or walking into the wrong person's birthday party. He was so baffled by the whole situation it took him a while to realise the mesh of voices had shrunken down to one.

'Mr Kaiba,' a redheaded reported in the front row waved the pad she was holding in order to get his attention, 'Mr Kaiba are you in there?'

'Err…' he found himself blinking at her.

'Mr Kaiba, I am waiting for an answer to my question,' her voice was chillingly calm, 'we all are.'

'I... I'm sorry,' he stammered, as he tried to work out which of two possible reasons she might have been calling him Mr Kaiba for was more likely, 'I didn't hear the question, could you repeat it?'

'The rumours, Mr Kaiba, are they true?'

'Rumours?' He found himself shaking his head.

'Don't play dumb with us Mr Kaiba,' a reporter from the other side of the got to his feet, 'you know full well what rumours we're talking about.'

'If I knew what rumours you were referring to, I wouldn't ask,' he tried to remain as calm as possible.

'The rumours that you're in love Mr Kaiba,' the redhead smirked at him, 'we're all dying to know if they're true.'

'Those aren't the rumours I'm interested in,' another reporter got to her feet, 'I want to know if it's true you've been running from those feelings. And if the method you've been using to run from them involves...'

Her sentence was cut off by a loud commotion at the back of the room. The sea of reporters parted to reveal five white coated men attempting to restrain a terrified Kaiba. In his chest he could feel his heart beating a mile a minute with every inch of the confusing fear he was feeling. The second the word _love_ had been mentioned, his palms had started to sweat and everything in him had tried to suppress any certainty he might have had. And now to make matters worse he was seeing what should have been his own worst fear happening to the person who mattered most to him; this couldn't be real.

'Seto,' Kaiba managed to break free of the white coats and made a mad dash towards the podium.

'What's going on?' He stared at his friend as he dove into his arms.

'They want to hurt me; you have to protect me, please.'

'What?' His eyes lifted towards the men in white coats.

'That's not true sir,' one of the white coats made his way towards them, 'we only want to help him.'

'By scaring him to death?'

'Sir, the man is mentally ill.'

'Mentally ill?'

'This man has attempted suicide on multiple occasions, he's suffering from long term depression and now there's the issue of his memory. He belongs in a home, somewhere professionals can take care of him.'

'No, no you're wrong,' he shook his head, 'none of those things are true. He doesn't need professional care. He doesn't.'

'Look at his arms, sir, the evidence is pretty clear for everyone to see.'

For a few moments he found himself hesitating. Then his hands carefully reached for the sleeve of Kaiba's black shirt. Pulling it down he revealed an arm full of familiar scars; every single one of them exactly where they should have been on him. His hand then moved towards his own sleeve, pulling it down to reveal his own arm was clear of any kind of self-mutilation.

'This isn't possible,' he shook his head, 'this isn't right; this isn't the way things are supposed to be.'

'Sir we need to take him now,' by this time the white coat had reached them, 'we need to take him somewhere secure. Somewhere he won't be a burden to others.'

'No,' he put his arms protectively around Kaiba and took a step back, 'I won't let you take him. I've been coping perfectly fine with him on my own. He doesn't need any help. He only needs me and I will find a way to fix this.'

He wasn't totally sure where these words were coming from, but for the first time since he'd arrived in this crazy place something made sense to him. These words, these feelings, sure they might have been uncertain and confusing, but they were real and they were his. And he knew... he knew he'd felt this way for a while, even if he'd been constantly suppressing it.

'There is no way of fixing this sir,' the white coat took a cautious step towards them. 'The way he is now, he's always going to be like it. His brain's been damaged you see, because a part of his soul was destroyed. He was suicidal once, you remember that, don't you sir? Just think how distressed he might become if he realises what he was capable of whilst he can't remember why? Do you really want to have to deal with that?'

'Yes, I do. I have to be the one to deal with it, because I already have. Do you really think we've gone six months without that ever becoming an issue,' again the words poured out of him before he could stop them. 'I have dealt with it. I can deal with it. I don't need anyone else to help me. He doesn't need anyone else but me. And I will fix this.'

'I told you sir; there is no way of fixing this. You can't repair this kind of damage.'

'I will find a way,' he gritted his teeth, 'and even if there isn't a way I will still be the one to look after him, do you hear me? You won't take him away from me. I won't let you take him away from me.'

Every word which came out of his mouth made his head hurt with a bizarre kind of surrealism. A part of him couldn't totally believe he was the one saying them, because he knew... he knew with a strange kind of certainty if he was the person he believed himself to be then these weren't the words he would be using. Then again he wouldn't have been the one wilfully suppressing emotions he'd spent months and months coming to terms with.

He found himself staring down at the guy in his arms. The one who looked like Kaiba but acted like Tristan. The one who was too innocent to suppress the emotions he knew was there. The one who would truly be capable of saying the words he knew beat within his own heart.

'Sir, you must let us take him, it's for his own good,' the white coat was right next to them now, reaching his hands towards them.

'You can't take him,' he felt like he was staring down into a weird reflection of himself as his head started to spin. 'I won't let you take him. I don't care what problems he has or how hard life is going to be for us, I won't let you take the person I love away from me.'

As he said the words the person in his arms transformed from Seto Kaiba into Tristan Taylor. Even though his mind had slowly been coming around to the idea that he wasn't the person he thought he was, waking up to the truth was like walking backwards through a dream. Tristan's memories, his thoughts and feelings were still floating around his head, only now they were just an abstract part of himself slowly fading away into obscurity.

'I am Seto Kaiba,' his voice was low enough for only him to hear, as if he needed to reassure himself of the information. 'I _am_ Seto Kaiba.'

There was a sudden burst of noise from the room around him. The sea of reporters was pretty much going wild now. Cameras were snapping left, right and centre, pens were manically being scribbled across notepads, Dictaphones were being raised high and moved as close to the podium as possible. The five white coats had also disappeared, merging seamlessly into the swarming sea of people forming a tight semicircle around them.

'Mr Kaiba,' the redheaded reporter stepped forward, 'are you saying the rumours are true?'

'Yes,' after all the confusion, uncertainty and self-denial he'd been through the confession felt like a huge weight had been lifted.

'But he has so many problems, are you really willing to commit yourself to him? What if he forgets who you are? What if you never find a way to fix him? What will you do if your future together will forever be haunted by what _you_ did to him? Is love really enough to brush something as big as that under the carpet?'

'How...?' He found himself staring at the redhead.

'Are you going to answer the question or not Mr Kaiba,' her voice was as firm as her gaze. 'Are you really willing to commit yourself to him, no matter what? Do you really, genuinely, hand on your heart honestly love him?'

Her question brought everything around them to a sudden and almost surreal standstill. For what felt like an eternity the only beings in the room who seemed to be working on real time was the redhead, Tristan and Kaiba himself. Her gaze remained cool and calm, but it faded into irrelevance the second Kaiba turned his attention towards Tristan. All the uncertainty he'd had, all the time he'd spent blaming the Pure for what he was feeling, suddenly felt stupid and ridicules; a denial he'd been forcing onto himself because he was afraid. But he wasn't afraid anymore, how could he be?

'Mr Kaiba, please, answer my question,' the redhead broke the silence, 'do you or do you not love him?'

'Yeah,' he gave a strange half laugh, 'I do.'


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Thinking it was probably best to give Mai and Joey a little privacy, Duke and Yugi had gone on ahead of the happily reunited couple. For some reason they'd been walking along in a strangely muted silence. It wasn't that Duke couldn't think of anything to say, it was just every time he tried the words became strangely stuck to the roof of his mouth. Something felt a little odd about it, as though someone else had decided conversation between them wasn't necessary. So when the strange unknown male appeared on the path in front of them, Duke couldn't say he was exactly surprised.

He was a broadly built man, at least a head taller than Duke, dressed in glinting orange tinted red armour. He was helmetless and his tightly curled, ginger main fell neatly around his richly tanned face. A face made strangely threatening by his washed blue eyes which stared piercingly at them.

'Du,' Yugi took a defensive step back, 'what are you doing here?'

'I am here at the request of my brother,' his voice was as broad and booming as Duke would have expected from a man his size. 'I am here to challenge you and you will accept.'

'Says who?' Duke tried to sound more confident than he felt.

'Says me,' he gave a single flick of his hand, causing a glass case to rise up from the ground.

'Cat of Darkness and the Squire of Dragons?' Duke's whole body became rigid with fear. 'Why... why did you do that to Cat and Mokuba?'

'I didn't,' Du rolled his eyes, 'this is my brother's game, not mine. Now, will you accept my challenge or not?'

'You have Cat's soul; I'm not going to say no.'

'Me either,' Yugi's eyes lifted to meet with Du's formidable gaze. 'So take that as a yes Du, we accept your challenge.'

* * *

Joey hadn't answered her question. Instead he'd struggled his way back to his feet and indicated they should start following Duke and Yugi. Mai couldn't believe it; why, after all the time Joey had spent proposing to her, would he get cold feet about it now? She wondered if she'd insulted his pride or made him feel like she was treating him like the woman just because he was the pregnant one. Then again if he was having anywhere near the kind of mood swings she'd had then the reason didn't have to make sense. He could be acting this way just from being hormonal.

Mai wasn't totally sure she liked that thought, but she didn't want to make things any worse by pushing the issue with him.

'Mai,' Joey carefully broke the silence, 'is being pregnant the only thing which held you back from saying yes when I asked?'

'Of course.'

'So then why did you ask? I mean, I'm not going to carry Jo to term, which means you will be pregnant again as soon as we figure out how and…' he hesitated.

'And?'

'And you're just going to take it back.'

'What?'

'You only want to marry me because you're no longer pregnant. When you get Jo back, you'll change your mind again.'

'Is that what you think?' Mai found herself laughing in amusement.

'I'm certain of it; you only want to marry me because I'm pregnant. That's what my gut keeps telling me.'

'Oh Joey,' she felt a look of complete and utter adoration fill her face as she stared at him, 'I promise I won't take it back.'

'Yes you will. You say won't, but you will.'

'Joey, what kind of person do you take me for? I wouldn't have asked you to marry me if I wasn't planning to go through with it.'

'Then ask me again when you're the one who's pregnant,' Joey's eyes were filled with a strange look. 'I know it doesn't make sense and I know it's not rational, but it's how I feel Mai. I feel like if I say yes to you, I'm leaving myself open to get hurt. I don't want you to hurt me Mai.'

'Uh...' there was something about Joey's words which reminded Mai of her own feelings about the situation, 'okay,' she lowered her gaze, 'I'll do what you've asked. I'll ask you again when I'm the one who's pregnant and then... then you'll see just how much I love you. Because when you agree to marry me Joey, I won't ever take it back.'

* * *

A part of her was surprised at just how accurate the Master's predictions had been. Four of the twelve had fallen at the first hurdle and with the last two challenges now issued she was certain things would turn out exactly as the Master planned. For a few moments she found herself circling the glass case containing the cards which now belonged to the Master. The way things stood currently, it would be her and Mov against the remaining players. She felt more than a buzz of excitement race through her. From the moment the game had begun she wanted nothing more than to have her chance to take part in it.

'You know this state isn't good for you, right?' Mov's voice was calm and clear as she appeared on the cliff edge behind her.

'Right now I don't care,' she shrugged, 'I like being like this. It makes me feel... powerful,' her grip on the axe tightened.

'I thought this might become a problem, but I was truly hoping my uncle knew what he was doing with you.'

'This is a problem? She laughed. 'How is this a problem? Am I not watching over this little game properly?'

'That's not it.'

'Then what is?'

'You... you're no longer thinking clearly,' Mov shifted her gaze away, 'you are no longer thinking like the girl you once were.'

'I'm not that girl anymore, can't you tell?'

'I can and that's exactly the problem. When all this is over you need to go back to the way you were and I'm not sure you can right now.'

'Then I won't go back. I like being like this. And if I stay like this then so can she.'

'You would give up everything you have for a dream?'

'Yes,' a cruel smile tugged at her lips, 'because compared to my reality, this dream is paradise.'

* * *

'Hey do you see that?'

'See what?' Ahna winced in the direction Catilin was pointing.

'Over there, look, pink rocks,' she giggled.

'Pink rocks?' She frowned. 'Are you sure your eyes aren't playing tricks on you?'

'Nu-uh, I know they're pink,' Catilin grinned, 'I think it's another henge, like the other one.'

'Maybe,' she pressed her lips together, 'but we're way too far to tell.'

'Then we should go there, come on,' Catilin caught hold of her hand and began pulling her forward, 'bet you anything the others are there.'

'Oh yeah?' Ahna laughed as she cocked an eyebrow. 'And just what makes you think that?'

'Because its pink rocks, duh,' she rolled her eyes before giggling again. 'If everyone has to meet up because they won their cards, then you want them to go somewhere obvious. Why not pink rocks?'

'Well that makes about as much sense as anything else in this place I guess,' she shrugged, 'and if you're wrong we can always rest there for a while.'

'But I won't be wrong.'

'You might be wrong Cat, so be prepared for that, okay?'

'Okay.'

'That's my girl,' Ahna pulled her hand back from Catilin as the two of them continued to make a brisk pace forward. 'You know, it's a shame Jay had to go and lose his challenge, he'd probably have enjoyed a walk like this.'

'Mm, but Jay walks _real_ fast, can you imagine having to keep up with him?'

'That's true,' she laughed, 'he'd probably have us racing over there cutting what should be a pleasant half hour walk down into ten minutes.'

'He forgets our legs aren't as big as his,' Catilin laughed.

'No, he just likes turning everything into a _healthy competition_,' she gave a dramatic sounding groan. 'He's dead, what does he need to be so active for?'

'Because he's Jay.'

'That's not exactly a good reason Cat,' Ahna smirked at her.

'Because he's a teenager,' she innocently tried again.

'Some teenager,' Ahna couldn't help but laugh, 'he's almost forty.'

'Nu-uh, he's almost seventeen,' she shook her head, 'he's just always almost seventeen.

'Well that's one way of looking at it,' Ahna kept her pace up as her gaze turned towards the definitely pink stone structure they were heading towards.

'Do you think the next stage of the game will be fun?' Catilin's voice toned with curiosity.

'I'm not sure I could consider any of this fun considering the fact I may never see my son again.'

'Uh... sorry Ahna,' she lowered her gaze, 'I'd forgotten what all this was about.'

'It's alright Cat, just do me a favour and try not to forget again.'


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Yugi found himself in a large, dark, empty space. Every sound he made... ever step he took forward echoed around him endlessly. He felt lost and lonely and completely out of his depth, but for some reason he was able to keep moving forward. No, it was more than just being able to move forward, he felt as though he was being compelled to somehow. As though some unseen hand watching over him would only be happy if he kept moving.

After what felt like an eternity he spotted a single, large gravestone ahead of him. Cautiously he moved towards it, despite the biting feelings of fear gathering in his stomach. As he got close enough to read the name and the dates, he found himself falling weakly to his knees.

'Téa...'

Even as he said the word, the weirdness in his vision bubbled, distorting the name in a way which half revealed another inscription underneath. Before he had a chance to read what it said, everything around him swirled and he found himself stood in a dimly lit little room, staring into a mirror. Instead of seeing himself, the image reflected by the glass was that of a redheaded girl. For a few minutes he found himself playing with his reflection as if to check it really did belong to him; it mimicked every single one of his movements perfectly.

'Who are you,' he edged towards the mirror, 'what's going on here?'

He wasn't expecting a reaction, but he was pretty certain he saw the redhead's lips twitch of their own accord right before the mirror and the room disappeared. He now found himself stood in front of a row of cages. In every single cage was the unconscious form of Téa repeated over and over again. Instantly Yugi found himself backing away in horror. As he did his vision bubbled again, creating a strange dual layer to what he was seeing; where the top half of his vision held Téa's form but the bottom was just a collection of strangers. The bubbling lasted slightly longer than before, but it eventually burst leaving the repeating form of Téa as the ultimate representation.

'What... what is this...?' Yugi slowly shook his head. 'What's going on?'

'What... what is this...?' The sound of her voice made him jump. 'What's going on?'

Turning he saw the redhead from his reflection stood not too far behind him.

'Who are you?'

'Who are you?'

'Stop repeating me,' Yugi gritted his teeth, 'just tell me what's going on already.'

'Stop repeating me,' the redhead took several steps towards him, 'just tell me what's going on already.'

'Stop it,' his voice came out sounding shriller than he'd intended, 'stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it.'

He took less than half a step towards her, when the scene around him changed again. Now he found himself sat in what looked like a doctor's office. His Mum was sat to one side of him, looking strangely calm, almost emotionless and his Grandpa sat to the other side of him looking bored and restless. Another bubble appeared in his vision, turning their faces into masks under which Yugi could just about make out two complete strangers before the bubble burst and their faces became faces again.

'We just don't know what to do anymore doctor,' his Mum spoke, her voice as unsettlingly calm as her face, 'we just can't take it anymore.'

'We're seriously worried he might be a danger to himself and others,' his Grandpa sounded bored, 'are you sure you can't take him in?'

'I have seen no evidence that he's a danger to anyone,' a faceless doctor appeared in the chair opposite Yugi. 'I know this situation is very distressing for you, but I see no reason to commit him at this time.'

'No reason...' Yugi shook his head as the scene around him froze, 'but I put Téa in the hospital.'

Almost automatically he got up from his chair and turned around. He now found himself in a large hall, decorated with party decorations. At one end of the room was a long table filled with presents. Cautiously he made his way towards it, all the while aware of how different this place felt compared to everything else he'd experienced so far. He couldn't explain how or why, but...

'Help me with the presents, won't you?' The redhead appeared out of nowhere beside him as he reached the table.

'Whose party is this?' Yugi's head felt dull and confused.

'Does it really matter?' She waved a hand dismissively. 'Just help me, won't you?'

'Okay,' he finished his approach to the table, 'what do you want me to do?'

'I want you to open that one there,' she pointed to one of the larger boxes, 'and hand me the present that's inside.'

'Why,' he shook his head, 'it's not my gift so it doesn't make sense for me to open it.'

'None of this makes any sense and that's the problem,' the redhead sighed and shook her head. 'So just open the box and give me the present, will you?'

Yugi studied her for a few moments, before turning his attention towards the box. He carefully lifted the lid and stared down at the object inside. Instantly his hands began to sweat and his heart began to pound hard in his chest.

'No... no this can't be,' he shook his head. 'How... why... I don't...'

'What do you see?' The redhead's voice was strangely calm.

'The Elemental Axe,' he glanced towards her, 'why is the Elemental Axe here?'

'Because you need to pick it up and give it to me,' she rolled her eyes, 'I told you.'

'No,' he shook his head, 'I can't... I can't pick that...that thing up, not after what I did.'

'Fine, it doesn't bother me if you fail,' she turned away from him, 'just be prepared to hang around here for... however long.'

'What... what's that supposed to mean?'

'It means if you don't hand me that weapon you'll never leave this place,' she shrugged, 'well at least until the game is over and who knows how long it'll take the others to complete it.'

'But... I can't... I can't...' he shook his head as his vision tried to bubble again, but failed.

'It doesn't bother me either way,' she began studying her nails, 'pick it up, don't pick it up; it's your choice really. You're the one who'll be answering to the others if they fail because _you_ weren't with them in the next stage.'

'Do you... do you have to be so cold about this?' Yugi stared at her. 'You have no idea what I did with that... that weapon. How... how can you ask me to pick it up and give it to you like it's nothing?'

'Because I'm not the one giving the weapon meaning, you are. So, like I said, it's up to you what you do from here.'

Yugi gawked at her for a moment, before turning his gaze back to the weapon. Once again his vision tried to bubble and reveal something to him, but just like the last time it failed to form. That alone made his palms sweat and his hands tremble. He didn't want to pick _that_ weapon up. He didn't want to be anywhere near it. But at the same time the thought of letting the others down began to get to him. There were already too many things in his life he was struggling to live with, he really didn't want to add one more to it.

Somehow he managed to reach a hand towards the weapon and, with his heart pounding like a jackhammer, he picked it up.

* * *

When Joey and Mai reached the pink stone structure they found Tristan casually leant against one of the upright stones, with Kaiba perched on the lower one next to it. There was something odd about the way Tristan was staring at him, although Joey would have been hard pressed to say exactly what it was.

'Hey Tristan,' Joey forced an uncomfortable smile onto his face, 'are Duke and Yugi back yet?'

'I haven't seen them,' one of Tristan's eyes twitched strangely as he continued to study Joey.

'Great,' he rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the uncertain feeling he was getting, 'just when we get Mai back, Duke and Yugi go missing.'

'You don't think they're being challenged, do you?' Mai bit her lip.

'I take it that means you guys have one of these too,' Tristan smirked as he held up the Blue Eyes Knight card.

'Yeah,' Joey nodded, 'what about rich boy?'

'I have his,' he carefully revealed the edge of a second card behind the Blue Eyes Knight, 'so there's no need to worry.'

'Does that mean he's got his memory back then?'

'Does it look as though he has his memory back?' Tristan shot him a look as he slipped both cards back into his pocket. 'I won his for him.'

'What?' Joey laughed in surprise. 'Are you allowed to do that?'

'Apparently certain rule changes are being made when it comes to the two of us,' he shrugged. 'So Wheeler, did they tell you what all this is about?'

'It's to do with Jo and Crovell,' Mai answered before he could. 'The gods are testing our _village_ to make sure we have what it takes to raise them properly. Or at least that's my understanding of it.'

'I see,' he folded his arms. 'Well I have to hand it to the gods for having a better of a sense of humour than I would have given them credit for.'

'Just what's that supposed to mean?' Joey cocked an eyebrow.

'I wouldn't have thought a dog like you would have been smart enough to figure it out.'

'I'm not a dog, I'm a wolf,' Joey gritted his teeth, 'and when the hell did you decide to forget that?'

'When have I ever referred to you as a wolf?'

'You always referred to me as a wolf Tristan, it's your little boyfriend that calls me a dog,' he growled. 'Please don't tell me you've been picking up his nasty little habits on top of everything else.'

'I haven't picked up anyone else's habits Wheeler, I just think you're a little confused about this situation.'

'What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?'

'It means I'm pretty certain I'm not seeing what you're seeing right now,' Tristan smirked and turned his gaze away from him. 'Like I said, the gods have one hell of a sense of humour.'

Joey opened his mouth to say something else to him, when Catilin and Ahna made their entrance.

'Hiet braysta you're here,' Catilin threw herself at Joey with her usual gusto. 'You look funny,' she giggled as she stroked his bump.

'Well I'm sure whoever's got my tattoo will be glad that's the only thing they got in the swap,' Ahna covered her mouth as she attempted to suppress her own giggles. 'Has... has anyone ever told you pregnancy really brings out the colours in your cheeks Veronie.'

'Since when did you start telling lame jokes Ahna,' Joey rolled his eyes. 'So have you two seen any of the others?'

'Jay was with us last night but...' she half turned away from him.

'He lost his challenge?'

'That's what Fray told us,' Ahna nodded. 'What about you?'

'Well Yugi and Duke are around here somewhere, unless they've lost too, of course.'

'I hope not,' she bit her lip, 'considering what's at stake here, I get the feeling we're going to need all the help we can get.'


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Kaiba felt as though he'd walked into the weirdest body swap situation ever. When Mai and Joey had first arrived clearly thinking they were each other, Kaiba had thought maybe they'd not been issued with a challenge yet. Then when that was proven wrong he had to figure he was able to see the truth now for the same reason he'd been able to play for Tristan as well as himself; the rules for him were different, he just didn't realise they would be quite so different.

A part of Kaiba found the situation highly amusing, especially after Yugi and Covo showed up acting like Catilin and Ahna. In some bizarre turn of events all four people he was with had done a mental gender swap.

'So how long did it take you lot to work out this was all a game?' Covo stretched as they waited to see if anyone else was going to show up.

'Pretty much when Sta challenged me,' Mai pulled a face.

'Kind of slow, don't you think Veronie,' he rolled his eyes, 'I mean, the three of us worked it out last night.'

'Well I apologise for being distracted, it's not every day you wake up seven months pregnant.'

Her words made Yugi giggle in that insane little girl way Catilin did and it was just as annoying coming from him as it would have been her.

'Did you find any clues yet hiet braysta?' Yugi grinned at Mai.

'Clues?' Mai blinked at him.

'Uh-huh,' he nodded, 'the henge we slept at last night had these phrases scratched into one of the stones which Ahna found; we think it must be a clue of some kind, right Ahna?'

'Mm,' Covo nodded.

'What did it say?' Mai's gaze turned towards him.

'I am. Reflection. I reflect. You are. Reflection. You reflect.'

'Hey, that sounds like the graffiti SK found on the stone table last night,' Joey almost jumped on his words. 'The sleeper dreams. The dreamer sleeps. What once was, sees what now is.'

'You never said SK was with you,' Kaiba narrowed his gaze, 'where is he now?'

'Well,' Joey turned away, 'he lost. And it was all my fault.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well I was the one who wanted to keep going, he and the others wanted to stay put and…'

'Wait,' Covo cried in alarm, 'others?'

'Yeah, Covo and Mokuba were there too.'

'Mokuba was there?' Kaiba stared at him. 'Just now, when you were asked if you'd seen any of the others, you didn't mention anything about Mokuba, Covo or SK. Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?'

'Because SK lost his challenge and Piida seemed pretty sure that Mokuba and Covo would too. I'm sorry; I know I should have said something but... I didn't see the point.'

'You didn't see the point,' Kaiba tried not to sound as angry as he felt.

'Well it wasn't as though they were about to show up and join us.'

'And? You were asked if you'd seen anyone else and you kept quiet about it; you really think that was the best idea considering the situation we're in?'

'Wow Tristan, calm down a little would you?' Mai cocked an eyebrow at him. 'Don't you think you're overreacting a little here?'

'Are you telling me you're fine with the fact he... _she_ hid information from us,' Kaiba could have bit his own tongue off for his slip up and he found himself praying the others had somehow failed to notice.

Fortunately for him before anyone had a chance to show whether they'd heard what he'd said or not, Mokuba and Catilin entered the area of the pink stones.

'Duke, Yugi,' Mai's face filled with a stupid grin, 'we were about to give up on you.'

For a few moments Kaiba found himself studying the newcomers; he guessed all the swaps were straightforward which would mean Catilin was Yugi and Mokuba was Duke.

'So,' he lowered his head arrogantly, 'you guys win your challenges then?'

'You better believe it,' his brother held up the Squire of Dragons card, 'although I was a little disappointed not to have won your card Cat,' his eyes shifted towards Yugi.

'You didn't win my card either,' Yugi's child-like voice toned with disappointment.

'No and I was really hoping to as well, but... Yugi got your card,' he stared down at his own for a moment. 'So what did everyone else get?'

'Well I got Duel Soul and Ahna won the Male Gemini,' the real Yugi grinned.

'The Howling Wolf,' Joey gave a strange half smile, 'which I assume to be yours,' he glanced over at Mai.

'Lady of the Seven Harpies,' she pulled her card out of her pocket, 'I guess we were playing for each other.'

'What about you Tristan?' Catilin turned her attention towards him.

'He got Kaiba's card, Blue Eyes Knight,' Mai jumped in before he had a chance to say anything, 'and his own, the Sharpshooter, right?'

'Actually, the second card is blank,' Kaiba couldn't help but wince.

'Blank,' Mai frowned, 'are you sure?'

'Yeah,' he forced himself to pull the card out of his pocket and show it to them. 'I didn't want to have to show you this, but I get the feeling if I don't do it now then I'll be forced to reveal it later.'

'I don't understand,' Mai took several steps towards him, 'I thought Kaiba told us the Sharpshooter had been damaged by the evil future Mokuba, not destroyed, so why is the card blank? Then again, why am I so surprised, why wouldn't rich boy lie to us about it? It was probably his fault to begin with. Hell I'd even believe he was the one who wrecked the card to begin with.'

'I would never do that,' the words burst angrily out of Kaiba before he could stop them, 'I would never intentionally hurt him.'

'Err... Tristan, don't you want to rephrase that a little bit?' She cocked an eyebrow at him. 'I know _you_ would never hurt him, but he would definitely hurt you.'

'Oh wake up Wheeler, I'm not Tristan.'

'Sorry, what?'

'I said I'm not Tristan,' Kaiba met and held Mai's gaze.

'Not Tristan?' Mai shook her head in confusion. 'Then who...?'

'Kaiba?' Yugi giggled as he took a step towards him. 'You're Kaiba, aren't you?'

* * *

'I'm sorry, what?' Joey stared at Catilin. 'You can't be serious?'

'She is,' Tristan's voice was flat and calm, 'I am.'

'I might have known you'd find some way out of that,' he jabbed a finger in Kaiba's direction, 'but don't you think body swapping's taking it a little far?'

'I haven't swapped bodies Wheeler,' he rolled his eyes.

'So then why do you look like Tristan?'

'I don't, your primitive little brain just thinks I do.'

'I don't understand.'

'We really are mirrors, aren't we?' Catilin laughed.

'Huh?' Joey shot a confused look in her direction.

'I am. Reflection. I reflect,' she clapped her hands together. 'It means we're mirrors.'

'I still don't get it.'

'Then you really are dumber than you look,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Or rather, you're dumber then she,' he pointed to Mai, 'looks.'

'Hey!' Mai glared at him.

'I'm sorry, but as far as I'm concerned Mai, you are Joey.'

'Wait a minute, as far as you're concerned we're the ones who've swapped bodies?' Joey began massaging his forehead. 'How the hell does that work?'

'You think I know?' He shrugged. 'Like I said before, the gods have one hell of a sense of humour.'

'_Right_,' he wasn't totally sure he was buying into the whole situation. 'So what you're saying is I'm not really a pregnant man, I'm actually a pregnant woman thinking I'm a pregnant man?'

'You know you're right, that really is a good joke,' Ahna smirked.

'Well you don't see me laughing about it,' Joey shot a look in her direction.

'That's because you don't have a sense of humour Wheeler,' Tristan lowered his head slightly. 'And in case the rest of you are wondering, you all won the soul card of the person you really are.'

'So that would make me your brother, huh?' Duke cocked an eyebrow at him. 'That has to be a little weird for you.'

'It's only weird if it's the truth,' Joey shook his head. 'And speaking of truth, weren't you about to tell us what _really_ happened to yours… I mean, _Tristan's_ card?'

'I told you the truth, that imposter Mokuba damaged the card.'

'Destroying the card and damaging the card are two completely different things _Kaiba_,' he gritted his teeth. 'So tell us the truth, now. The whole truth this time. Starting with how the hell the evil Mokuba got his hands on Tristan's card to begin with, because you were really sketchy about that before.'

'I told you all you need to know about what happened,' Tristan tensed.

'Then why do you look like you're hiding something? Did you do something or not do something which allowed my best friend to end up like that?' Joey once again jabbed his finger in Kaiba's direction.

'I didn't stop it,' Tristan's whole face scrunched up with unreadable emotions as he clenched his fists. 'I wasn't able to stop it from happening, okay? He took Tristan's card right off of my dueldisk and ripped it in two and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop him. It was my fault, okay? It was all my fault. I'm the reason he's like this,' he turned his head away, 'are you happy now?'


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Mov hadn't hung around for long, leaving her to proudly survey the playing field as the last of the challenges came to an end and the remaining players had their chance to regroup. There was something about this situation which just made her feel so alive and exhilarated and she couldn't think of a single other time in her entire life she'd had this much fun. For a few long moments she found herself playing with the axe as though it were some kind of twirling stick. As she did she heard someone approach her from behind.

'Mov sure isn't happy; did you do something to offend her?' The redhead's voice was edged with amusement.

'Does it really matter?' She stopped playing with the axe to turn towards her.

'I guess that depends on how important her opinion is to you.'

'The only opinion which matters is that of the Master,' she met and the redhead's gaze. 'Is he not pleased with me?'

'The Master is very please with you,' the redhead folded her arms and smirked. 'You have performed better than he could possibly have asked for and he knows you will not disappoint him in the next stage of the game.'

'Tell him I thank him for his confidence in me.'

'Why not tell him yourself?'

'Because I'm itching for the next stage of the game to begin,' she crept towards the edge of the cliff they were on. 'I wish those fools would hurry up and find the third clue already. They were split into three teams for a reason and the other two managed to find their clues alright. Who'd have thought the group the Master had the most interest in would be the most disappointing?'

'They had more distractions than the others; give them a break they'll figure out something is missing sooner rather than later.'

'They've had enough of a break; they need to find that final clue already.'

'You sure are impatient,' the redhead laughed, 'does the Master's game really excite you this much?'

'More than you know,' her jaw line hardened, 'I feel as though I've been asleep forever, but now... now I feel awake again. Now I feel alive again. My blood is itching for things to move forward, is there no way we can lead them to the third clue?'

'No,' the redhead shook her head, 'that would be cheating. They need to figure this all out on their own.'

'There's a lot for them to figure out,' she rolled her eyes, 'I'm not convinced they're capable.'

'Oh, but they are. Just like they're capable of overcoming everything this situation will throw at them. Have a little faith, their village is strong.'

'How can I have faith in them when they can't see what's really going on here,' she shook her head. 'They're not even trying to see beyond what they're being shown.'

'Is that the way you see it?' The redhead laughed. 'Because from my point of view a very different story is going on down there; not all of them are walking through this situation so blindly.'

'They don't count; the Master said things would be different for them anyway.'

'I wasn't talking about them,' the redhead placed a hand on her shoulder, 'take a closer look at some of the other players; they're minds are opening even if they can't be sure what it is they're seeing just yet.'

'You don't even know them,' she turned towards her, 'how can you have so much faith in them?'

'I told you, the Master believes in them and I... I believe whatever the Master believes,' a proud little smile pulled at her lips, 'haven't you figure that out yet?'

* * *

It had happened so quickly no one had been able to stop it; although Yugi doubted any of them could truly have believed it would. The way Mai's fist had connected with the side of Tristan's face was hard enough to have been felt by all of them. She went to hit him again, but Joey caught hold of her arm and pulled her back. For a few long moments there was silence, during which Tristan used his hand to check the damage and the red beginnings of a small bruise were already visible.

'You should have told us,' Mai was the one to break the silence. 'If you had told us what had happened we might have been able to do something about it.'

'What could have been done exactly?' Tristan's voice was quiet. 'That fake had destroyed a part of his soul, that's not something the First could have healed and you know it.'

'Even if that is true you shouldn't have kept this from us. God sometimes you can be such an ignorant...' she stopped herself and frowned. 'This doesn't feel right,' she stared down at her hands, 'why was I the one to hit you?'

'Because I couldn't do it right now,' Joey folded his arms.

'But you were the one who held me back,' Mai met his gaze. 'Doesn't this feel wrong to you? You were the one getting worked up about knowing the truth just now and I'm the one who reacts to it. That's not the way this should be and you know it.'

'Does it matter?' He shrugged. 'You're still saying what needs to be said. Although if anything I'd say you were letting him off a little lightly,' Joey turned his gaze towards Tristan. 'Right now I don't care if it was your fault or not, you hurt him and that's the one thing I promised myself you were _not_ allowed to do. If last night I was confused about where my loyalties lay, now they couldn't be any clearer; you're a danger to him Kaiba, you're using him and manipulating him and I will not allow that to continue you.'

'What are you planning to do exactly?' Tristan met Joey's gaze. 'You and I both know you can't just ban him from seeing me or something as ridicules as that. So tell me, just what are you planning to do?'

'I haven't decided yet, but trust me you'll be the first to know.'

'Joey...' Yugi took half a step towards him, 'don't you think you're being a little harsh here. I mean, we don't know exactly what happened back then and for all we know there was nothing Kaiba could do to stop the evil Mokuba from destroying Tristan's card. And... well I'd say it was pretty obvious just how guilty he feels about it.'

'And that's the problem,' Joey's hands clenched into fists, 'all this time I was worried there might be genuine affection there, when it was nothing but guilt.'

'What?' Tristan stared at him.

'He said it's nothing but guilt Kaiba,' Mai took up a strong position beside Joey. 'The only reason you're sticking by Tristan like this is because you feel guilty about what happened, that's all.'

'No,' he shook his head, 'no that's not the reason at all.'

'Are you telling me guilt has nothing to do with it?' Joey gave an arrogant half laugh.

'I...'

'You know what, I don't even want to hear it,' Joey shook his head and turned away. 'You've already proven to me exactly what kind of man you are and unfortunately for me it's the exact kind of man I thought you were. Selfish, selfish, selfish, selfish.'

'Stop picking on Seto,' Kaiba jumped to his feet and glared at Joey.

'It's okay,' Tristan placed a hand on his shoulder, 'I can defend myself.'

'But Seto, she doesn't know what she's talking about.'

'Did he just call me a she?' Joey cocked an eyebrow.

'I told you Wheeler, he sees things as I see them,' Tristan gave a heavy sigh. 'In fact, he's always been able to see things as they really are and I think his memory problems might have helped with that.'

'_Really_?'

'Think about it,' he folded his arms, 'it's not just your perspectives which have been altered, it's your memories too.'

'Uh... and you can't build a house on quicksand,' Catilin made a small noise of realisation.

'Err... Cat, I might need a little help with that one,' Joey blinked at her.

'She means if someone's memories aren't stable to begin with then it would be impossible to lay someone else's memories over the top without them sinking and becoming lost or muddled up somehow,' Duke smirked slightly.

'Come on Joey, that one was even obvious to me,' Mai's face filled with an amused look, 'and I almost never get what she's saying when she talks like that.'

'No, but I almost always do,' Joey frowned. 'But, wait, this raises more questions, not less. I can buy the whole quicksand memory thing, but how do you explain his perceptions not being altered? You don't need a memory in order to be able to see what a person does or does not look like. He sees me as a girl, how do you explain that?'

'Because you are a girl Wheeler,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'and isn't it possible that's what everyone else is seeing too, but your minds have been altered to recognise each other as the people you all think you are rather than as the people you actually are? Recognition is a part of memory and if you can't remember who a person is how can you recognise them for who they're supposed to be?'

'Since when did you start talking like Catilin?' Joey shot him a nasty look.

'Please Wheeler, just because you failed to understand the logic of my sentence does not mean I was talking like Catilin. For a start I didn't use a single metaphor or childish intonation, for a second...'

'This isn't fun at all, stop fighting now,' Catilin stamped her foot.

'And who exactly said any of this had to be fun?' Joey cocked an eyebrow at her.

'Because this is a game, remember hiet braysta?' A stupid smile pulled across her face. 'We're all mirrors, that's a part of the game; we don't need to know how it works, we just need to know it is for when it will be important.'

'Err... again that went over my head a little.'

'She's trying to say now's not the time to be fighting with Kaiba for the sake of fighting with Kaiba,' Ahna rolled her eyes. 'I know you're angry at him and... whatever, but you can deal with that after we've rescued our son. Or had you forgotten the stakes of this little piece of madness we've found ourselves in?'

'Fine,' Joey grunted and turned his head away, 'but that rich bastard better watch his step, because I'm not going to forgive any mistakes he makes; especially if they jeopardise our mission to save my son.'


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Whereas the others had decided to stand around and talk until they'd figured out what they were supposed to do next, Catilin had decided to search for clues. After all they already had two, so logic would suggest there be at least one more stashed away somewhere. And even if there wasn't at least she would be doing something a little more productive than the rest of them, who despite promising to put their differences on hold were still managing to throw in the more than occasional dig and nasty comments.

'What would Mokuba be doing with Piper's deck?' The sudden and unexpected sound of Duke's voice made her jump.

'Huh?' She blinked as she turned towards him.

'Well if Kaiba is telling the truth about us being the ones who've body swapped, then I'm really Mokuba right now, remember. If that's the case then I probably have everything on me Mokuba would have had before he arrived here, including this,' he took a deck of cards out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Catilin carefully scanned her way through the deck. In the last few months she'd watched Piper play a dozen or more times so there was no denying these were definitely her cards. When she came across the decks staring centre piece she paused for a moment and pressed her lips tightly together; she hadn't expected this.

'I don't understand,' her eyes lifted to meet with Duke's, 'she agreed with me that she'd been created, she even said she had a keeper, how could it not be Téa? It doesn't make any sense. Unless...'

'Unless what?'

'Unless this is the third clue. It's possible, isn't it?'

'That depends on whether or not you think it's likely for Téa or Piper to be working with or for the gods,' Duke shrugged. 'I don't know, I think that's a little too much for me to believe now.'

'But she has been created, someone created her, if it wasn't Téa then who was it?'

'I don't know, maybe Mokuba's leading a double life he doesn't want anyone to know about,' Duke smirked. 'I mean, he's a Win and one of Win's powers is to Glamour, right?'

'The powers were all divided up, remember?' Catilin pulled a face. 'We don't know what powers Mokuba has that I don't or Mai doesn't or Tristan doesn't. No one's really checked to see what powers we all have, so...'

'So it's possible Piper could be Mokuba?'

'Maybe,' she pressed her lips together, 'but...'

'But what?'

'Piper said something which makes sense if she's Téa but not if she's Mokuba,' Catilin tilted her head to one side. 'She said there was a guy she liked, who her keeper liked, who didn't know she existed. That doesn't make any sense if its Mokuba, does it?'

'Wait, did Piper say there was a specific guy she liked or did she just imply it?' Duke studied her closely.

'She didn't tell me who the guy was, but she told me there was a guy she liked and that he didn't know she existed and the reason she liked him was probably because her keeper did. That made sense for Téa. Téa likes Yugi, so if Piper is her onchasen and created by Téa and likes the same person Téa does because she likes him then it makes sense.'

'Okay, I need you to break this down for me a little more here Cat; Piper said she liked this guy because her keeper does?'

'She said she didn't see where else those feelings would have come from.'

'So she doesn't know for sure if her keeper likes this guy, she just suspects the feelings for him came from her keeper.'

'Yeah,' Catilin's face filled with disappointment. 'I guess that means it might not be Téa after all. People, even created people, need to know where their feelings have come from and when things are confusing it's easy to try and find sense which makes sense but isn't always true.'

'So it could be Mokuba using a Glamour then?'

'Nu-uh,' she shook her head, 'Glamours don't create new people and Piper is a new person. Only a Flip or an Assume can create new people.'

'A Flip or an Assume?' Duke frowned. 'Wait, Flipping, isn't that the ability the Pure has to alter her genetic structure?'

'Uh-huh.'

'So what's an Assume?'

'It's the process which created the Nameless,' Catilin's face became serious for a moment. 'The First has the power to take possession of other beings, but she only uses it on beings she's specifically created to take control of.'

'That suggests it's possible for the First to take possession of anyone if she wanted to, but she chooses not to.'

'Uh-huh.'

'And since those are both Mistresses powers it stands to reason the Win parts would have them divided amongst them too, right?'

'Uh-huh.'

'So which do you think Piper is more likely to be, a Flip or an Assume?'

'I don't know. I don't know which one Mokuba would have ended up with. I don't even know if I can do either. But I do know a Flip is more stupid than an Assume because it causes more problems. Flips want lives of their own, Assumes don't really have enough sense of self to care most of the time. Not unless the First wants them too. Just like they only have names if the First wants them too.'

'But we're not talking about this being the First; we're thinking this is Mokuba, right?'

'I still don't see why it would be Mokuba,' she shook her head. 'This is giving me a headache now; can't we just look for another clue?'

'You really think there is one?'

'There has to be, why else would the game be on pause right now?'

* * *

'To walk a mile is to know the truth. When boundaries blur, the line becomes clear.' Yugi grinned as he and Mokuba rejoined the rest of the group.

'So you found another clue then?' Mai smiled at him.

'Mm-hmm, it was over there,' he pointed, 'you guys should have been checking for it last night.'

'We had other things to distract us last night, remember?' Mai placed a hand on her stomach. 'This situation is more than a little bizarre.'

'Mm, I know hiet braysta.'

Kaiba found himself giving a heavy sigh and rolling his eyes. Every now and then one of them would do something or say something which made him think their actual personalities were starting to reinstate themselves. Then an exchange like that would happen and Kaiba found himself losing faith in all of them. How could they be so close to the truth and so far away from it at the same time? It wasn't as though they weren't aware something was wrong; it was more like they were too stubborn to let their true personalities to pull completely through whilst being too self aware to act completely like the people they thought they were. And this just left Kaiba dealing with weird hybrid personalities which either highlighter how similar some of the crossovers were to each other or alternatively just how different.

'I am. Reflection. I reflect. You are. Reflection. You reflect. The dreamer sleeps. The sleeper dreams. What once was, sees what now is. To walk a mile it so know the truth. When boundaries blur, the line becomes clear.' Tristan's child-like voice broke into Kaiba's train of thoughts as he perfectly recited all of their so called clues.

'That's a surprisingly good memory for someone who doesn't even remember his own name,' Mai blinked in amazement.

'What do you expect Wheeler,' Kaiba shrugged, 'for him to be a complete sieve when he's like this?'

'Well... yeah.'

'Remind me never to let you look after him when he's like this,' he folded his arms, 'because clearly you're clueless.'

'When things get back to normal, Kaiba, you won't have a say in who does and doesn't get to look after him; not if I have anything to do with it.'

'What makes you think you have the right to make decisions like that,' Kaiba glared at him.

'What makes you think you do?' Mai met and held his gaze.

'I don't. Contrary to what you're thinking Wheeler, I haven't manipulated Tristan into staying with me. I've never hidden what really happened to him from him and he chooses to stay with me anyway. And at the end of the day his opinion is the only one that matters.'

'That's what you think.'

'And you call me the selfish one, but from where I'm standing it's clearly the other way round.'

Before he knew what was happening, Joey's fist once again made contact with the side of his face. Kaiba found himself giving a slight grunt of disgust as he placed a hand to his cheek to check the damage; for someone who thought they were a girl they sure as hell hit like a man.

'Don't you _dare_ talk to him like that, you self-centred bastard,' Joey glared at him. 'Right now we only have your word that Tristan's choosing to stay with you, for all we know you could be lying; we already know how good you are at that. So when all this is done and he's thinking like himself again...'

'I hate to interrupt this important conversation of yours,' the sound of Mov's voice caused all of them to start, 'but I would have thought you'd want to start the next stage of the game of my uncle's game by now.'

'Huh... your uncle?' Yugi frowned. 'But... Fray said it was his uncle's game. I know Set is your uncle too, but... he's also your grandfather and I thought you called him grandfather.'

'You're right,' Mov pressed her lips together, 'we do.'

'Please don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me,' Kaiba began massaging his temples, 'this situation is ridicules enough as it is without that being true.'

'Without what being true?' Mai shot him a curious look.

'I would say if you were actually yourself right now Wheeler you would have figured this one out, but that would be giving you too much credit,' he gave a heavy sigh.

'Watch it rich boy, Mai's not the only one who can throw a punch here,' she glared at him.

'Whatever Wheeler, just let me ask you this; technically speaking who else besides Set, is brothers with Du and Sta?'

'No,' she laughed in disbelief, 'you can't possibly mean…'

'Crovell Lutoni,' Kaiba met her gaze, 'this whole game is being run by your seven month old son.'


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

'Crovell?' Ahna laughed in surprise. 'But...?'

'After the Wen gave up trying to kill him, they decided a child of his importance should have the best upbringing possible. Set in particular had concerns with how well mortals could cope with raising a God Class being, so he made contact with Crovell who reminded Set that his father was the First's host, Set responded by pointing out what a poor parental figure the First had been in regards to her elder three children and thus the challenge was issued,' Mov gave a heavy sigh. 'I can't say I fully agree with the situation, but I do understand where it's coming from. And I also agree with this notion that it takes a village to raise a child.'

'And I'm guessing with a second child of similar power on its way, now seemed like the perfect time to do this,' Joey pressed his lips together as his hand gently rubbed his unnatural bump.

'Exactly.'

'But if this is all about our abilities to raise children of great power, what's with this bizarre set up? I mean, what does this situation prove exactly?'

'There are several things the Master is trying to prove here,' without warning Téa appeared beside Mov holding the Elemental Axe. 'For a start he's trying to show you're not totally reliant on your powers in order to survive. And, as some of you are already aware, he's also trying to get you to face up to yourself and overcome various self-imposed obstacles which might prove problematic. For some of you it's important you overcome these things before this game is finished, for others of you just being aware these things exist within you is more than enough. There are a few more things he needs to prove and that's where the next stage of the game comes in.'

For a few seconds no one said anything and a part of Ahna suspected they were all too shocked at seeing her to really take in what she was saying.

'T-T-Téa,' Yugi was the one to break the silence, 'you... you're awake.'

'Not exactly, that's why I'm able to hold this with no consequences,' she held up the Axe. 'Or at least that has something to do with it. I never really needed the Master to explain the ins and outs of it all to me.'

'Téa I... I need you to know... you have to know how... how sorry I am for what I did. Please...'

'Oh just shut up, would you? I didn't come here to hear your snivelling apology; I came to start the next stage of the game.' Without giving any of them a chance to react to the brutalness of her words, she lifted her right arm up causing four chests to rise up from the ground. 'Each one of these contains a soul card; the Cousin's Ghost, the Laughing Hyena, the Lioness Knightess and the Jack of Dice. In other words, the four cards secured by the gods in the last round.'

'And what exactly happened to the players who lost?' Tristan folded his arms and flicked his gaze up to meet with Téa's.

'These are their soul cards, aren't they? For now each player is trapped within them and that's where they will remain until further notice.'

'So I guess this really means I'm not Ahna then,' Ahna gave a nervous laugh, 'since I can't both be here and trapped within my own soul card.

'That's an issue for you to come to terms with,' Téa rolled her eyes, 'right now I want to explain the rules for the next stage of this little game. You see the next stage is a competition between the eight of you and the two of us,' she smirked. 'The idea is to pass through a series of eight gates by completing a series of eight random challenges, most of which have very strict time limits. If you fail to complete a challenge the only way to open a gate is to sacrifice a soul card and player. Mov and I will then gain an extra chest.'

'And what happens if you fail a challenge?' Tristan narrowed his gaze.

'Then we lose one random soul card and you gain a player,' she gave a nonchalant shrug, 'which is also what will happen if you make it through a gate before we do.'

'And let me guess, the team with the most soul cards at the end wins, right?' 'That's right.'

'You're starting this game at a serious disadvantage you know.'

'Maybe, but unlike you we're allowed to use our powers in order to aid us.'

'Wait, powers?' Yugi stared at her.

'I have the Axe remember.'

'But the Axe doesn't give people powers, it just enhances the powers people already have,' Tristan shook his head.

'I'm an onchasen, different rules apply to me. That's something you would know if you'd done your homework properly. Now,' she gave a dismissive flick of her hand causing the four boxes to disappear, 'its time for us to start the next stage of this game.'

* * *

Kaiba's eyes flicked between the two doors they now found themselves stood before. They were monstrously high and almost identical looking. _Almost_. Something about the marginal differences between them told Kaiba there almost definitely were differences between the two routes. Whether or not that made one easier or harder than the other was yet to be seen, but he had a strong feeling picking the right door would make all the difference.

'As we're starting at a disadvantage, I'm sure you won't mind if we pick our door first,' Téa's face filled with a fake smile.

'Okay,' Mai nodded in agreement, 'I mean, its only fair, right?'

Without hesitation she and Mov made their way towards the door to the left. She then sent an almost bored look back towards the rest of them.

'We can't enter before you; the doors will only open when both teams are ready to go in.'

Obediently everyone made their way towards the door on the right and almost as soon as they were stood in front of it, the door slid open. Without hesitation the group entered. For a few long seconds they huddling together in their new enclosure as the door behind them slid closed again.

'So what do we do now?' Mokuba stared around the grassy, forest-like area they found themselves in.

'We complete the challenge before they do,' Kaiba could hear the dull dryness in his own voice.

'What challenge?'

As he spoke, a large stone table shimmered out of nowhere. On the table was a system of gears clearly missing three of the cogs it needed to work.

'Okay…' Mai cocked an eyebrow, 'well this isn't what I was expecting.'

'And just what were you expecting Wheeler?' Kaiba folded his arms. 'We're powerless so they're hardly going to set us up against a fire breathing dragon on our first challenge.'

'No, that'll come later,' she rolled her eyes. 'What I meant was that I didn't expect it to be so… basic. I mean find the cogs and make the gear system work, how much more game show can you get?'

'There's probably some kind of level system to these challenges,' he shrugged. 'Right now we have to concentrate on passing each one as they come. And for this one I suggest we split into four teams.'

'Why four?'

'Are you forgetting the fact you're pregnant Wheeler? It'll be faster if you wait here whilst the rest of us go look.'

'I'm not staying here on my own,' Mai glared at him.

'That's why I said four teams, pick who you want to stay with you.'

'Fine, then I pick him,' she pointed towards Tristan.

'But I want to stay with Seto,' Tristan stared at her as though she'd gone insane.

'Tough, if I'm not allowed to go anywhere, then neither can you.'

'If this is to do with his memory problems Wheeler, then it's a pretty low shot,' Kaiba gritted his teeth.

'And the pregnancy thing isn't?'

'Whatever,' he turned. 'Duke comes with me; the rest of you can sort out your own teams.'

'Remind me again, who exactly put you in charge?' Mai sounded more than a little annoyed.

'Someone has to be.'

'And why should that someone be you?'

'Because I say so,' he started walking away.

'Hey, I haven't finished with you yet,' Mai called after him.

'We're wasting time Wheeler,' he gave a dismissive wave, 'do you want to rescue your son or not?'


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

He hadn't wanted to stay with Joey; he'd wanted to go with Seto. She'd only made him stay out of spite, he knew that. Just because he couldn't remember much, didn't mean he was stupid; Seto understood that so why didn't she? Moodily he sat down beside the table and leant back against it.

'Do you remember anything about yourself at all?' Joey casually took up a position next to him.

He grunted, but didn't reply. He had no interest in talking to her.

'You know, before rich boy got his claws into you, we used to be best friends,' she awkwardly sat down beside him. 'It used to be me, you, Yugi and Téa.'

'Really?' His voice was as dry and uninterested as he could make it.

'Yeah,' she nodded, 'we were all really close. But then I became a Silkoneon and things got a little… complicated.'

'Really?' He shifted his gaze away as deliberately as possible; he didn't want her to think he was interested.

'Yeah, really,' she laughed, 'for a start, the leader of my people turned out to have a real dark side and I ended up as the host for the First Mistress of Light. Things kind of escalated from there I guess.'

'Does your story have some kind of point?'

'No, I just…' she hesitated. 'I just wanted you to know that I'm your friend too.'

'If you were really my friend you wouldn't have made me stay here, you'd have let me go with Seto.'

'Actually it was because I wanted to stay your friend that I didn't let you go with him,' she placed a hand on his shoulder. 'He's got too much control over you as it is.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' He shrugged her hand off.

'It means...' Joey sighed again, 'it means I know how much you care about him, hell that much is obvious to anyone with half a brain cell, and I think Kaiba uses that fact to his advantage; especially when you're like this. Because it means he gets to appease the Pure's desire to have you around without actually having to deal with you.'

'You make it sound like he doesn't care about me,' he glared at her.

'He doesn't,' Joey's voice was mute, 'not like me, Téa and Yugi do at any rate. The Pure's the one who wants to keep you around and after what happened before... I think he'd do just about anything to keep her happy and stop her from taking over again. Even if it means pretending to be committed to a friendship he doesn't want and has no real desire to be in.'

'Liar.'

'I'm not lying. The only person Kaiba is actually capable of caring about is himself. Everyone else, even his own brother, are just things he feels he needs to keep around and because of that he's too selfish to share them with anyone else.'

'That's not true. You're only saying that because you don't like him.'

'No I'm only saying that because I've no evidence to the contrary,' Joey rolled her eyes. 'I've seen the way he treats you and Mokuba, like your responsibilities he can't get rid of. Heck he stopped showing you any kind of affection full stop the second he regained his own memory, don't think I didn't notice that. I think even a blind man would see that as evidence he doesn't care about you.'

'You're wrong, he does care about me, I know he cares about me, he told me so.'

'Yeah, back when he was still thinking he was you,' she rolled her eyes again, 'because, like I said before, you care about him. But trust me when I say this, it doesn't work both ways.'

'You're wrong,' he was starting to feel really angry now, 'he does care about me. He loves me.'

'No, you love him,' she shook her head, 'there's a huge difference there.'

'No, he loves me,' he met and held her gaze defiantly. 'He told me so, when we were in our challenge and then again after when we were waiting for you all to return. He told me he loves me so I know it's true.'

For a long couple of minutes Joey just sat there staring at him in silence. There was something about the look on her face which suggested she wasn't totally sure what to think.

'He really told you he loves you,' when Joey eventually spoke his voice was strangely muted. 'As in him, not the Pure or him thinking he was you, but Kaiba actually told you that he loves you?'

'Yes.'

'And he actually meant it?'

'Why wouldn't he mean it?'

'Well this makes things complicated,' Joey gave an exasperated sounding sigh and shifted his gaze away. 'I was hoping, really hoping, this was one sided; that way there was no actual chance of you or the Pure getting hurt. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now.'

'You're not supposed to do anything but let me and Seto be together,' he folded his arms, 'that's what a good friend would do.'

'It's not that easy though, is it?' She shook her head. 'I told you, him actually having feelings for you makes things complicated and it could lead to both you and the Pure getting hurt.'

'Why? Why would it lead to anyone getting hurt?'

'Because relationships are complicated enough as it is without throwing the emotions of higher beings in on top of it; I'm worried this is too much for either of you to handle.'

'But that's not your decision to make,' he stared at her, 'it's ours.'

'I wish you weren't so naive right now,' Joey shifted her gaze away, 'then maybe you'd understand why I'm so worried about this. And why, when this whole mess we're in now's over, I'm going to have to have some serious words with your boyfriend.'

* * *

'Glamouring doesn't create a person, does it?' Catilin's voice was high and curious as they made their way back to the table, cog in hand.

'No, of course not, Glamouring is just a surface change,' Yugi shook his head. 'I would say it was only skin deep, but it's not even that.'

'But a Flip and an Assume do create people, right?'

'Well... yeah, with the Assume the creation is literal and from the very beginning too,' Yugi tilted his head to one side. 'Assume is also the only one of our disguising techniques which can be used to literally separate out consciousness.'

'Like when the First set the Nameless free,' Catilin's face filled with a thoughtful expression.

'Right, the Assume is also exclusive to the First.'

'I know, like Glamour is yours and the Flip is the Pure's,' she grinned, 'I do know some stuff. So if they're people, can the Pure communicate with her Flips in the same way the First communicates with the Nameless?'

'Yes and no,' Yugi tilted his head to one side. 'She can communicate with her Flips in the same way I assume she and Kaiba normally communicate; through telepathic projection.'

'Why do you think they normally communicate like that?'

'Because the Pure is a telepath and she will use any opportunity she can get to utilise her unique ability. Why do you think the First and the Face of Friendship had to learn to block her?'

'I guess that makes sense,' she giggled. 'So the Flip can genetically alter anything, right? Even gender?'

'Yeah, even gender,' Yugi shifted uncomfortably, 'although of all the Flips she's capable of that has to be the most painful.'

'Why?' Catilin blinked at him.

'Flipping the colour of your hair or eyes or skin or height or build or... whatever, only involves altering the sequences of genes which control those factors. Even if several things are being Flipped at once each change is counted as a _limited_ Flip. Flipping genders means altering your genes at a chromosomal level; it affects more than just the coding. Plus there are actual... organs involves,' he squirmed.

'Organs involved,' Catilin rolled the words around her mouth for a moment, 'you mean if the Pure Flipped gender she'd exchange her girly parts for boy parts?' She laughed. 'Does that mean she could be a daddy if she wanted to?'

'Wow, you are much more direct about this than I was,' Yugi blinked at her. 'If the Face of Friendship wasn't an empath I don't think I would know the answer to that question.'

'So what is the answer to that question?' Catilin's eyes filled with an excited look.

'Yeah, if the Pure wanted to she could use the Flip to father a child. Although now she's actually in Kaiba's body she doesn't exactly need to use the Flip to do that.'

'That's true,' she pressed her lips together. 'Win should have the Flip ability too, right? I mean, he has all your exclusive powers as well as your shared ones, doesn't he?'

'Yeah, he does, although if the ability is split up amongst the Win parts I doubt any of you would be capable of it.'

'Why not?' Catilin looked almost disappointed.

'Unlike Glamouring, the Assume and the Flip take a greater level of skill and power concentration. They are also more limited as an ability to begin with, so unless one of you has the full version of either then I doubt any of you will be able to use them.'

'What are the chances of one of us having the full of either?'

'Honestly, I don't know,' Yugi shook his head, 'but from what I've seen from the way the powers have been divided up so far, I'd say it was pretty slim; none of you have the full amount of anything we know about.'

'Hmm.'

'Why all the questions about this anyway?'

'Duke has Piper's deck and I'm trying to figure out why,' Catilin turned her head thoughtfully up towards the sky. 'Piper is definitely a person and not a Glamour, so she has to be a Flip or an Assume and since Duke is really Mokuba right now...'

'I see what you're getting at, but there's a chance Piper could still be an onchasen, right? Even if she isn't Téa's. And people aren't always aware they have onchasen so...'

'Mm, I had thought about that, but... I still keep coming back to the same though and I really don't think it's the right one.'

For a few long moments the pair of them fell silent. A part of Yugi felt as though he could guess what though Catilin kept coming back to, but he knew if he acknowledged it it would become his own sticking point. It wasn't a thought he really wanted to be contemplating unless he had to and he didn't seriously think he would ever have to.

'Catilin, can I ask you something?' Yugi forced himself to break the silence in order to keep his mind off of his own train of thoughts.

'Mm?'

'I know you can't exactly remember what you did, but… do you ever feel guilty about… you know…'

'Murdering Jay's father,' she completed his sentence as though it were the easiest thing in the world. 'I don't know. I know it makes me feel bad when I think about it, but I don't really remember what I did. It's not like all that stuff I did as Re, I can remember that and that makes me feel really guilty. It makes me think of my parents too.'

'Your parents?' Yugi frowned.

'Mm, they always made me feel like I was going to be a bad person, just because they didn't know what to do with me. It's why they took me to all those doctors. They really wanted one of those doctors to say I was dangerous so they wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. Instead all they got was something called respite, where I was sent away from them for a couple of weeks.'

'Did they send you away a lot?'

In response Catilin shrugged, but said nothing.

'I guess it must be hard picking out exact details when you don't really remember your own childhood,' Yugi sighed.

'Mm, but why are we talking about this when you want to talk about Téa?'

'I thought I was the empath here,' he gave a nervous laugh, 'how do you know I want to talk about Téa?'

'I can feel it,' she shrugged again, 'the air may not be talking to me anymore, but... I still feel I know what you're feeling.' Her eyes studied him for a moment. 'Maybe it's because I am you.'

'Err... yeah; I guess I didn't think about that. You know, I'm really glad I don't see the world the way you do normally, I've had a headache ever since I arrived here,' he pulled a face.

'I like seeing the world like that, it's how the world should be,' she gave an informative nod. 'And you're still not talking about Téa.'

'You noticed that, huh?'

'Pretty hard not to when I know it's what you want to talk about,' her face filled with a serious look. 'I can listen if you want to talk.'

'But that's just it, I'm not sure I want to talk,' Yugi shifted his gaze away from her, 'in all honesty I'm not sure what I want.'


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Mai still didn't know which concept she found harder to believe; the idea Joey was pregnant or the idea that she was Joey, thinking he was her, thinking she was him, thinking he was pregnant. If she had to choose, she'd be forced to admit the first was a lot easier to understand and therefore easier to deal with. Though if she were being honest with herself it didn't matter what was easier to deal with, because both situations were as messed up as each other. Still in the time it had taken for her and Ahna to find one of the missing cogs, they'd both managed to agree on two things; seeing a pregnant Joey was funny and Crovell must have one wicked sense of humour to have come up with that no matter how you looked at it.

Their cog had been located near a large stream a good half mile or so away from the table. The cog itself was large, bulky and awkward to carry and even sharing the weight between the two of them the going was still pretty slow. As the area around the table came into sight all talk had dropped between the two girls as they focused their energy into picking up their pace.

'Finally,' Ahna let out a sigh of relief as they broke out into the clearing, 'it feels like we've been walking for hours.'

'What took you guys so long?' Tristan's voice was tinged with Kaiba's arrogant tones.

'Guess we're the last team back then,' Mai rolled her eyes as she acknowledge the other, 'but you try lugging this thing,' she indicated towards the cog, 'for half a mile.'

'Please,' he rolled his eyes.

'I'd like to have seen you do it any faster.'

'I did actually,' Tristan pointed towards the larger of the other two previously missing cogs, 'I guess physical strength really is just a state of mind.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'What do you think it means,' he gave a nonchalant shrug and turned away from her.

'I think it's time to put this thing back together,' Duke gave a nervous laugh in an obvious attempt to pre-defuse the tension. 'We've already worked out that your one goes down first,' he met Mai's gaze, 'that's why we were waiting.'

'I guess we should have figured there'd be an order to it,' Ahna rolled her eyes, 'typical.'

After taking a mutual deep breath in, the two girls carried their cog towards the table. Then, with the help of Duke and Tristan, they slotted it into position. Exhausted, they stood back and allowed Duke, Tristan and Yugi to move the remaining two cogs into place. Almost as soon as the last one was in position, the table started making a loud whirring noise. A large gate like door then shimmered out of nowhere and, after a moment of nothing, slowly opened.

'What a relief,' Mai wiped sweat away from her forehead, 'it looks like we passed.'

* * *

Sticking close to Seto, he followed the others through the gate. A large part of him was already hoping the next challenge wouldn't require him being separated from his important person again. In a world where everything was unfamiliar and strange, it was incredibly important to him to have that one familiar thing around making it feel a lot less dangerous and scary.

On the other side of the gate the whole group found themselves in a large white room. The room was dotted with various household objects. In one corner was a curved, wall hugging, diamond shaped mirror and beneath the mirror someone had carved strange shapes into the wall. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew those markings were meant something, just like he knew he should be able to somehow understand what they meant. It was an odd and disconcerting thought, but he didn't let it bother him. Instead he waited to see what the others would do.

The little spiky haired boy everyone kept calling Catilin made his way towards the mirror. He wasn't totally sure he liked Catilin much; he had a weird kind of energy about him and didn't always make a whole lot of sense when he spoke, but at the same time there was something likable about his strangeness.

'You'll never guess,' Catilin clapped his hands as he glanced back at the others, 'our next challenge is a riddle, yay!'

'Just how made for TV game show can you get,' Joey shook her head. 'So what does the riddle say?'

'This mirror reflects all but one. That which cannot be seen is the key to the next gate. Find it and you may pass on debt free.'

'So basically, we just have to find the one thing the mirror doesn't reflect?' Yugi tilted her head in thought.

'That's what it sounds like,' Joey pressed her lips together. 'But…' she closely studied the mirror, before flicking her eyes around the rest of the room, 'I think it's been placed there in order to reflect everything.'

'Uh... but there has to be something,' Catilin's face filled with a strange kind of disappointment, 'else how are we supposed to find it? Maybe it's hidden?'

'That's a good point; maybe we should try looking under things.'

As he watched the rest of them search the room a part of him almost couldn't believe how dumb the others were being when the answer was staring them right in the face. Even Seto, who he instinctively knew was smarter than the rest of them, didn't appear to pick up on what was, to him, such an obvious answer. Without even bothering to confer with the others, he went over to the mirror and unhooked it from the wall.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' Joey's voice was annoyingly shrill.

'The riddle said we needed the object the mirror didn't reflect, right?' He shrugged. 'Well this is the object; the only thing the mirror doesn't reflect is itself.'

'He's right, he's right, he's right,' Catilin clapped, 'why didn't I see that?'

'Because you're an insane child and he's a brilliant one,' a proud little smirk appeared on Seto's face.

'So is that it?' He couldn't help but beam as he carried the mirror over to the others. 'Do we win again now?'

As if in response to his question, the wall behind him shimmered into another gate. On one of the two stone doors, was a mirror similar to the one he was now holding. On the other door, in line with this mirror, was a diamond shaped dip.

'They really are making this too easy for us,' Seto rolled his eyes. 'You want to do the honours?' He nodded at him.

Grinning childishly, he did as he was told. Setting the mirror into its true position he barely had time to admire it, before the gate doors swung rapidly open. Elated that he was the reason it had happened, he darted through without bothering to wait for the others first. On the other side he found himself stood on the banks of a turbulent river, which ran through the middle of a forest.

The air around him was heavy with the murky scent of damp earth and, what he could see of the sky above him, was covered in a thick, threatening layer of grey-black clouds. The water in the river roared angrily. This fact, along with the width and speed at which the water flowed, made it appear dangerously fearsome. So he was almost horrified to see the next gate stood, tauntingly, on the other bank.

It didn't take long for the others to join him. For a few seconds they appeared to be assessing the situation in much the same way he had. He could see Joey's mouth open as if she was about to say something annoying again, but before any sound passed her lips a tall guy, with grass green eyes and jet black hair, appeared before them.

'Seto...?' The new comer's gaze focused on him. 'What... what's going on?'


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Just the thought of having to deal with Duke thinking he was Mokuba, thinking Tristan was him was enough to give Kaiba a serious headache. It was bad enough he had to put up with Mokuba thinking he was Duke thinking Yugi was Catilin, this was just about the last thing he needed. Still, there was something rewarding about the thought that they'd managed to beat the second challenge before their competitors.

'Err, Mokuba,' Mai gave a nervous cough, breaking the slightly tense silence, 'I know that looks like your brother, but apparently its not.'

'What do you…?' As Duke turned his gaze towards her, his jaw dropped open. 'Joey, you're pregnant. How…?'

'_He's_ not,' Kaiba rolled his eyes, 'you lot just think he is. Or, more to the point, you just think she's him.'

'What's that supposed to mean Tristan?' He frowned.

'It means that I'm not Tristan.'

'If you're not Tristan does that mean you're Win?' Duke took half a step back.

'No, it would mean that he is your brother,' Mai folded her arms.

'Wait, are you saying he's Seto?' Duke half shook his head in confusion. 'Then...?'

'The easiest way of looking at this is that Tristan and your brother did some kind of body swap,' she shrugged.

'We weren't the ones to swap bodies Wheeler,' Kaiba shot him a look. 'Nobody has swapped bodies, you've just had your perception and memories altered.'

'Altered how?' Duke stared at him.

'Well for a start you're not really my brother,' he knew he probably sounded slightly cold, but there really wasn't any gentle way of putting it.

'What...?' His face took on a hurt expression. 'But...?'

'If what he's saying is right then you're really me,' Mokuba stepped forward and held up the Squire of Knights card. 'Check your pockets for one of these, I bet you anything it'll be mine.'

Duke did as he was told and eventually pulled the Jack of Dice out of his back pocket.

'I don't understand,' he stared down at the card in confusion, 'are you saying we've switched lives or something?'

'It all depends on what you want to believe,' Mai pulled a face. 'Personally I prefer to believe Kaiba found a way of switching with Tristan, since prior to all this he was the blank slate for a change.'

'What? I don't understand.'

'Right now I think it's easier if you try not to think about it,' Mokuba shot him a weak smile. 'I mean, I'm fully willing to believe I'm really you, because... well some of this situation makes more sense if people aren't who they think they are, but...'

'Okay...' Duke nodded slowly, 'so is there anything else I need to know?'

'Just that Crovell is the one behind all this and we're currently in competition with Mov and Téa.'

'Crovell's behind this?'

'Yeah, apparently he...'

'Look, do we really have time for all this right now?' Kaiba interrupted. 'In case you've forgotten, we've got a challenge to pass. Clearly we made it through the second gate faster than they did, so let's not mess that up by losing this one, okay?'

* * *

Mokuba was starting to feel as though Duke was right; it was best not to think too hard about this situation. For a start there was _way_ too much for him to get his head around. After all, he'd only just managed to follow what Mov was talking about when she was explaining the first stage of this little game to him. The idea that he wasn't him, just somebody else thinking he was him because his mind had been altered to think that way... It made his eyes cross and his head hurt every time he even tried to think about it.

Instead he figured it was probably best to just focus on the task at hand. He felt pretty sure at some point he'd have to deal with this whole _identity issue_ thing they apparently all had right now, but until that moment occurred worrying about it felt pointless.

'So does anyone have any ideas about getting across this river then?' Duke folded his arms as he turned his attention towards the gate on the opposite bank.

'How can I have any ideas about how to get across when all I really want to know is where the cameras are?' Joey rolled his eyes. 'I mean, so far we've had a puzzle of sorts, a riddle and now a river crossing, all we're missing is some hyped up presenter and a cash prize.'

'I wouldn't complain if I were you Wheeler,' Tristan shook his head, 'I mean, the easier the challenges are, the faster we can get through them and get out of this place.'

'Yeah, but we're supposed to be proving we have what it takes to look after Jo and Crovell. All these challenges prove is how well we'd do on some made for TV adventure game show.'

'Mov and Téa said we still had things to prove,' Catilin tilted her head to one side, 'maybe these games help us prove it.'

'Again, prove what?'

'How well we can work together as a team. How resourceful we can be when we don't have our powers to rely on. Our ability to know when to trust the judgement of others,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Take your pick Wheeler, any of these reason could be true. But right now I think we should be concentrating more on finding a way across the river; all we're doing at the moment is wasting time.'

'Do you think if we knocked one of the trees down we could use it as a bridge?' Kaiba's voice sounded disturbingly childish.

'And how exactly are you planning for us to do that?' Joey cocked an eyebrow.

'Push it,' he grinned. 'If we all push it really hard, it'll up root and fall.'

'Look, you might have come through for us on the last challenge, but I really think you're missing the mark on this one.'

'Why?'

'Because there is no way the nine of us are ever going to be able to push a tree over,' Joey shook his head. 'What, did you lose your mind, along with your memory?'

'No,' Kaiba pouted, 'but at least I know my eyes work, which is more than I can say for you.' He pointed towards a tree, which had already been partially up rooted. 'It's not anchored properly, we could push that over.'

'Looks like he's right again Wheeler,' Tristan smirked.

'Okay, so maybe he is,' Joey gave an exaggerated shrug. 'It still doesn't necessarily mean the nine of us will be able to push that tree over.'

'Oh come on, you said yourself this is like a game show, right? So obviously they're not going to give us a tree that's already about to fall over and then make it impossible for us to knock down.'

'He's got a point,' Duke tilted his head in thought. 'Although the way I see it, only eight of us are actually going to be doing the pushing.'

'Huh?' Joey's face filled with a look of confusion.

'All people currently not seven months pregnant, please raise your hand.'

'Okay, I get your point,' he rolled his eyes as he stared around at everyone else's raised hands, 'but the way I see it, that just makes it harder for you.'

'I'm sure we'll manage,' Tristan shrugged.

'So exactly how are we going to do this?' Mai folded her arms, as she and the others made their way towards the tree. 'Are we all just going to just stand behind it and push or... what?'

'If we could find a thick fallen branch or something, we could put it under for a little leverage,' Duke pressed his lips together. 'That and people pushing on the actual trunk, might just be enough.'

'Do we really have time to look for something like that?' Joey shook his head.

'People not helping to knock this tree down are not allowed an opinion,' Tristan smirked at him.

'Hey, you're the ones saying I can't help.'

'And now we're saying you can't talk either.'

'Actually, you're the one saying he can't talk,' Mai shot him a look. 'And for what it's worth, I agree with him; I don't think we have time to go branch hunting.'

'Then what do you think we should do?'

'I think we should all put our weight behind it and push,' her tone was calm but weighted. 'If that doesn't work then we look for some kind of leverage.'

'Fine.'

Moving into position, the eight of them began to push. After a few moments of straining, Mokuba began to feel the tree moving beneath them. Gritting his teeth, he forced more of his weight behind it, hoping the others were doing the same. The tree began to creak in resentful protest, as more of its roots began to pull cruelly out of the ground. It might have been on its last legs already, but clearly the tree had no intentions of dying quietly. Mokuba would have pitied it, if crossing the river wasn't so important to them. Painfully, he willed up the last of his strength and continued to push.

With shock speed, the body of the tree suddenly crashed loudly into the river, spraying up water like blood from a severed artery. The eight creators of its demise fell back with a deep, exhausted breath. For a few moments they watched in silence, as the gushing water bashed up against the withered bark.

'So I guess we go across now,' Mokuba let out a breathy sigh.

'Yeah,' Duke nodded, 'so who wants to go first?'


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

'A maze,' Joey rolled his eyes, 'of all things, it would have to be a maze, wouldn't it? This makes it, what, four consecutive game show games in a row.'

'Quit your whining Wheeler and just keep moving,' Tristan glared at him. 'The way you're carrying on anyone would think you wanted to lose this thing.'

'Not lose exactly,' he folded his arms and shifted his gaze away, 'just actually feel challenged.'

'Yeah, well I'd like you to stop ranting over and over about the same damn thing, but it seems like neither of us are going to get what we want.'

'Shut up Kaiba.'

Joey gritted his teeth as he continued walking through the narrow passageway the group found themselves in. They'd been walking for at least half an hour now and were obviously completely lost. He wouldn't admit it to the others, but Joey was starting to worry they wouldn't complete the challenge in time. A part of him knew he was repeating the same rant over and over as a way of masking his own fears about it. Because no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't imagine having to pick the card and player they'd have to sacrifice in order to pass through the gate.

Unfortunately for him his mind just wouldn't shut up about it. He knew he was safe; after all, it was the fate of his children that were at stake here. That also ruled Ahna and Mai out and, whereas he'd be only too please to get rid of Duke, he knew Duke was Crovell's Daiosen, which meant it was probably best if he stuck around too. So that left them with Kaiba, Tristan, Mokuba, Yugi and Catilin as the only expendable players.

'Well Kaiba gets my vote,' he muttered quietly to himself.

'What was that?' Mai frowned at him.

'Nothing,' he shook his head, 'I was just contemplating who we could afford to get rid of when we fail this challenge.'

'Don't you mean _if_ we fail this challenge Wheeler?' Tristan shot him a look.

'No,' he folded his arms, 'I mean when.' He gave a heavy and exasperated sigh. 'Look, I hate to tell you this guys, but I've got this strong feeling we've probably run out of time by now. My guess is that by the time we find the gate, they'll be a box or something waiting for us to drop a card into it in order to pass.'

'Well if you'd pick up your pace a little Wheeler, we might be able to get there before that happens.'

'What does it matter how fast I'm walking, if we're completely and utterly lost?'

'Stop exaggerating.'

'I'm not,' Joey was surprised by how calm his own voice sounded, 'I'm just being honest here.'

'He's got a point,' Yugi came to a stop, 'I mean, all these passageways look the same; I can't tell if we're getting somewhere or just walking around in circles.'

'Well it's not like we can just give up,' Tristan folded his arms.

'And no one's saying we should,' Joey shook his head, 'I'm just saying we should be prepared to lose this one.'

'I don't wanna have to pick someone,' Catilin bit her lip, 'I mean, I'd just feel so horrid about it. If we have to chose, we have to find a fair way of doing it.'

'Like what?'

'I dunno, maybe we could shuffle everyone's cards together and then pick one out. That's fair, right?'

'She's got a point,' Mai pressed her lips together, 'if we have to pick someone to sacrifice, I'd rather it be like that. At least then the rest of us won't feel so guilty for staying.'

'Okay,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'so now we've agreed on that, can we please get going again? If we're going to fail this challenge, I'd rather it not be from a lack of trying.'

'And that's exactly why I hope we pick your card,' Joey glared at him. 'Maybe spending a little time trapped in a box will take you down a peg or two.'

'I'm sorry Wheeler, what was that?'

Joey was just about to repeat his insult when a loud slamming noise echoed down the passageway towards them. A fearful silence crept across the group and they moved on mass in the direction of the sound. It didn't take long for the door to loom its way into view, causing an uncomfortable feeling to squirm through Joey's stomach. The small chest sat neatly in front of the door could only mean one thing. Time was up and they were going to have to choose.

* * *

Catilin took a deep breath in and began shuffling everyone's cards together. She'd had a bad feeling in her tummy ever since they'd first entered the maze area and got lost. It was as if this whole section was just set up so they'd have to lose somebody; why else would the door appear right after they agreed on what they would do if they had to give somebody up?

'Okay,' she fanned the cards out, 'I shuffled so someone else has to pick.'

They others exchanged reluctant looks and nobody stepped forward. It didn't surprise her much that none of them wanted to do this, she didn't want to do this, but it wasn't as though they had a choice.

'Come on, we agreed, I shuffle, someone else picks.'

'Fine, I'll do it,' Tristan gave a heavy sigh before reluctantly plucking one of the cards out of her hand, 'clearly no one else here has the guts to.'

As agreed Tristan moved the card straight from Catilin's hand and into the chest without looking at it. In theory the thought of knowing who was about to disappear before they disappeared was more than any of them could bear. In practice Catilin would have argued the seconds which followed the chest disappearing were the most agonising in her life. Taking a deep breath in she mentally began counting towards ten, waiting to see what would happen next. It didn't take long, by the time she'd reached five Kaiba had vanished. For an instant Catilin thought she saw a crushed look flicker across Tristan's face, but no sooner than it had, he'd turned back towards the gate and waited for it to open.

'If this next challenge resembles a game show in anyway, I swear I'm going to scream,' Joey rolled his eyes as the gate opened and the group of them made their way through.

The second they entered the room beyond Catilin found herself laughing in surprise. In the middle of the room stood a familiar looking red headed girl, with a look somewhere between amusement and expectation strewn across her face.

'Weren't you in my challenge?' Catilin took several steps towards her. 'For the first part of the game I mean.'

'I was in everybody's,' the girl's voice was strangely calm.

'Who are you exactly?' Tristan narrowed his gaze on her.

'I am the Master's creation,' she focused her gaze on him. 'I do only as he requires of me and as such you are to be my opponent.'

'Huh?' Joey stared at her.

Without saying anything the girl lifted her left arm causing the light around it to shimmer and a dark blue dueldisk to appear.

'So you want to duel me?' Tristan smirked. 'You sure about that?'

'Yeah,' she nodded as a table holding a Battle City dueldisk and three decks rose up out of the ground. 'As the only one thinking clearly, the Master decided you were the only one capable of giving me the challenge I deserve; but, as I'm sure you're probably already starting to figure out, that's not the only reason. See I get to pick my deck first and then you may pick any other deck that is in this room, including the two remaining on the table. We will duel and if you beat me then your whole group will be able to pass onto the next chamber unhindered. But if you lose then you personally will have to pay the toll.'

'Fine,' Tristan met and held her gaze.

'Then this is my deck,' the redhead held her hand up causing one of the three decks from the table to vanish from where it was and appear in her hand.

'And I chose to play with Piper's deck,' his voice was strangely calm as he picked the dueldisk up from the table and flicked a look in Duke's direction.

'Wait, you what?' Joey stared at him in confusion.

'She said I could use any deck, so long as it was already in the room,' Tristan's voice remained calm, 'so I pick that one.'

'But... why?'

'According to Duke she was on the same level as Yugi and myself, that means her deck has to be better than anything else on offer right now.'

'But…'

'Look, no arguments Wheeler; I'm the one who's going to be duelling here, so I'm the one who gets to choose what deck I use,' Tristan's expression was deadly serious, 'and I choose hers.'


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

From the moment the redhead had told him he was Crovell's chosen opponent for her, he knew exactly why. The little brat knew he would choose Piper's deck, which meant the little brat knew why he would choose Piper's deck. But it wasn't like he had a whole lot of choice in the matter; Crovell had singled him out which meant Crovell was testing him personally. And it probably wouldn't take the others long to work out why either.

With both decks shuffled and slotted neatly into their respective dueldisks, he took up a position opposite the girl.

'You can go first if you like,' Kaiba met the redhead's gaze as he skilfully drew the top five cards from his deck.

'Thanks,' she smiled as she drew a sixth card and added it to her hand, 'then I'll start by playing my Mountain Field Card, just to give my dragons a two hundred attack and defence point boost.' As she slotted the card into her dueldisk, the area around them dramatically changed to resemble a mountain top. 'And then I'll play my Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, in defence mode.' A giant green dragon appeared before her, its two thousand defence instantly increased by two hundred points. 'I end.'

'Draw,' staring down at his hand, he briefly contemplated his opening move. 'I lay one face down, then play Injection Fairy Lily in attack mode.' A cute fairy dressed in a nurse's uniform, holding a novelty sized syringe, appeared in front of him. 'I'll then pay two thousand life points in order to raise her attack to three thousand,' the syringe the fairy was holding swelled to three times its original size, as Kaiba's life points dropped to two thousand, 'and I think I'll use her to attack your defensive dragon.'

Riding atop the syringe, the fairy flew across the field towards the dragon destroying it.

'Interesting,' the word rolled out of her mouth, 'I can already tell the Master was right about you.'

'Whatever,' he rolled his eyes, 'I end my turn.'

'Good, then I guess it's time for me to draw again.'

* * *

'So who exactly is Piper?' Mokuba shuffled closer to Duke as he watched Tristan duel. 'And what were you doing with her deck?'

'That's what I was about to ask you,' Duke gave an edgy laugh. 'I am you at the moment, remember, so you were the one with her deck, not me.'

'But that doesn't make any sense,' he shook his head, 'I don't even know anyone called Piper, why would I have her deck?'

'Because Piper's not a real person, obviously,' he gave a strange sigh.

'What do you mean?'

'Well at first Cat thought she was Téa's onchasen, but now…' he shrugged.

Frowning in confusion, Mokuba turned his attention back towards the field. The redheaded girl had just played Lord of D. along with Flute of Summoning Dragon, in order to bring out her Luster Dragon #2 and Koumori Dragon. Giving her three monsters to Tristan's Lily and with a combined attack of five thousand three hundred staring down at him, things weren't looking good.

'Kaiba really missed a trick in choosing that deck,' Joey rolled his eyes.

'I wouldn't count him out just yet,' Duke pressed his lips together, 'Cat and I have seen Piper get herself out of tighter spots than this with those cards.'

'Yeah, but that's Piper, this is Kaiba.'

'So?' Mokuba found himself glaring at him. 'My brother is the best; that could be the most amateur deck in the whole multiverse and I still recon he'd find a way to win with it.'

'I'm sure he must be pleased someone has faith in him.'

As they continued to watch, the redheaded girl ordered her Lord of D. to attack Injection Fairy Lily. Almost instantly Tristan flipped his face down card. To Mokuba's relief, it was Negate Attack; his life points were safe, for this turn at least.

'Draw,' Tristan swiftly pulled the top card from his deck. 'Well would you look at that,' a smug smile tugged at his lips. 'I play Cost Down, this allows me to lower the level of my monsters, making them easier to summon. I then sacrifice my Lily, in order to summon my Guardian Angel Joan in attack mode.'

As the winged maiden in a white, almost medieval style dress appeared on the field, Mokuba's heart almost stopped dead in his chest. He'd seen that card before; it was in the deck his brother had given him to destroy.

'Duke,' he swallowed hard, as he turned towards him, 'you said you're me right? So technically I was the one carrying that deck, right?'

'Yeah,' he nodded.

'When did you find it?'

'Last night, why?'

'And... and are you certain that it's Piper's deck. I mean... absolutely sure.'

'I've seen her play enough times Mokuba, it's hers alright.'

Mokuba could feel the blood draining from his face.

'Are you okay?' Duke's face filled with concern.

'I… I'm fine,' he stammered, 'I... I'm just trying to figure something out.'

'Yeah, like how your arrogant older brother always seems to have some trick up his sleeve in order to get his best monsters out,' Joey rolled his eyes, 'even when he's using some stranger's deck.'

Ignoring Joey's comment and feeling unexplainably worried, Mokuba turned his attention back towards the duel. Tristan's Angel Joan had just destroyed the redhead's Luster Dragon #2, reducing her life points to three thousand eight hundred.

'Of course my monster also has a pretty beneficial special effect,' Tristan smirked. 'Beneficial for me that is.' As he said this his life points increased to four thousand four hundred. 'Well I think that's enough punishment for this turn. I lay two cards face down and end.'

'You know you really are pretty good,' the redhead grinned, as she drew the top card from her deck. 'I really need to up my game a little and to start with I think I'm going to play my Pot of Greed,' as the smiling pot appeared and disappeared from the field, she drew two more cards into her hand. 'Next I activate Mystical Space Typhoon in order to rid the field of my Mountain Field Card,' the mountain area around them dissolved. 'Don't worry, I've not gone mad, I'm simply changing the field,' she slipped a new card into the slide out field zone. 'I activate Mystic Plasma Zone,' the sky above them swirled with threatening purple clouds, 'and finally I sacrifice my Lord of D. and Koumori Dragon, in order to summon the Dark Magician; with Mystic Plasma Zone in effect, its attack is three thousand,' she laughed. 'Bet you know what's coming next.'

'You're planning to attack my Guardian Angel Joan, right?' Tristan rolled his eyes.

'Got it in one,' she grinned. 'Dark Magician, Dark Magic attack.'

As her Dark Magician aimed its hooded staff at Tristan's monster, one of his two face down cards rose in activation. Before Mokuba could see what it was, the field was covered in a cloud of dust created by the connecting attack. When the dust settled Tristan's monster was gone, but his life points were still intact.

'The Sanctuary in the Sky,' Tristan smirked. 'You didn't think you were the only one who could play a field spell card, did you?' As he spoke her Mystic Plasma Zone was sent to the graveyard and her Dark Magician's attack decreased to two thousand five hundred. 'This may not give my monsters a nice power boost, like your cards did, but it does reduce battle damage to my fairy monsters to zero. And trust me; there are a lot of fairy type monsters in this deck.'

'Wait... how does rich boy know that?' Joey frowned. 'Did you show him the deck last night or something Duke?'

'No,' Duke shook his head.

'Then…?'

'You lot know I'm not deaf, don't you?' Tristan glared at them.

'And your point is?'

'My point is; if there's something you want to know, then just ask me.'

'Okay, I have a question for you,' Mokuba focused his gaze on Tristan, 'are you Piper?'


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Kaiba had known from the moment this duel had started it would only be a matter of time before someone asked that question, but even so he hadn't expected it quite so soon. As such he wasn't prepared to answer it just yet. Because answering it required explanations and explanations took time and time wasn't really a luxury they really had.

'So have you finished your turn yet or not?' Kaiba focused his gaze on the redhead.

'Yeah, I end.'

'Good. Draw,' he pulled the top card from his deck and added it to his hand.

'Hey Kaiba,' Mai's voice contained all the annoyingly taunting tones Joey's would have had, 'I thought you said you weren't deaf.'

'I'm not.'

'Then why haven't you answered your brother's question?'

'Just because I heard the question doesn't mean I have to answer it.'

'Maybe not normally, but in this situation I'm pretty sure you do.'

'Do I have to remind you that I'm in the middle of a duel right now Wheeler?'

'More like the middle of a gender crisis.'

'Like you can talk,' Kaiba glared at her.

'Hey I'm not the issue here; you're the one playing some girl's deck as though it were your own,' Mai's face pulled with a serious expression. 'So how long have you been living this double life for Kaiba? Did you always know you wanted to be a girl or was that something you discovered later on?'

'Shut up, we don't have time for this now Wheeler,' he gritted his teeth. 'What the hell makes you think it's that simple anyway? Just let me finish this duel in peace.'

'Fine, but the second it's over you and I need to have a very serious chat about this.'

'Whatever,' he turned his attention back to his opponent. 'First I activate my other face down card, Monster Reborn and I'm using it to bring back my Guardian Angel Joan. I'm also summoning my Fairy Dragon of the Garden in attack mode.'

A sleek, serpent necked dragon, no higher than his knee, appeared on the field before him. The pink scales which fell from the crown of its head down along its back, faded seamlessly into the silver tipped white of its legs, feet and underbelly. Its white blushed, gently curved face was almost seal like in appearance and its long, delicate, lacy wings were like those of a dragonfly. There was no denying that this was a very elegant dragon and with an attack of two thousand, it was powerful for a four star monster; there was only one drawback.

'I hope you weren't too attached to that Dark Magician, because it's about to leave the field. Angel Joan attack.'

'Nice move,' the redhead laughed as her field stood empty and her life points dropped to three thousand five hundred and his rose to six thousand nine hundred, 'my life points are wide open now.'

'I know,' Kaiba met her gaze, 'I end my turn.'

'What?' Mai's voice was once again loud and obnoxious. 'Your dragon could take a serious dent out of her life points, why aren't you attacking with it?'

'Fairy Dragons can't attack a players life points directly,' Mokuba shook his head.

'How do you know that?'

'This is Piper's deck remember and I've watched her play enough times to know what her favourite monster can do.'

'So she uses the Fairy Dragon a lot then?' She gave a smug half laugh. 'Like Kaiba and his Blue Eyes, next you'll tell me that she has three in her deck and she normally fuses them together to form an even bigger Fairy Dragon.'

'Err… yeah, actually she does.'

'And you lot thought she was Téa because…?'

'Its still a deck full of fairies Joey.'

Rolling his eyes, Kaiba turned his attention back towards his opponent, who had already drawn the top card from her deck. With only one card in her hand and no cards on the field, he knew there wasn't a lot she could really do. What happened next all depended on what she'd just drawn.

'Okay I play Zombyra the Dark in attack mode,' a cloaked, skull armoured, zombie like creature, with two thousand one hundred attack points, appeared before her, 'and with that, I end my turn.'

It was pretty obvious from the monster she'd picked that the redhead was utilising the weakness of his Fairy Dragon. Sighing heavily, he studied the two cards in his hand, Polymerisation and his second Fairy Dragon of the Garden.

'I lay one card face down, then play my second Fairy Dragon in attack mode,' Kaiba lay placed the cards onto his dueldisk. 'You're Zombyra has twenty-one hundred attack points, making it stronger than either of my dragons, but it's still vulnerable to an attack from my Angel Joan. So say goodbye to your poor excuse for a defensive monster.'

His Angel attacked, her life points dropped to two thousand eight hundred and his rose to nine thousand.

'I end my turn.'

'Good,' she grinned, 'I just hope this is a better draw. Huh,' she stared down at her new card, 'not what I'd hoped for, but not too bad, I guess. I play Gift of the Mystical Elf, which restores my life points by three hundred for each monster on the field.' As she said this her life points rose to three thousand seven hundred. 'I guess all I can do now is end my turn and prey you don't get another monster that can actually attack me directly.'

'Draw.'

He glanced briefly down at the card he'd just drawn, it wasn't his third Fairy Dragon; in fact it wasn't a monster card at all. Ignoring it, he continued with his move.

'I attack your life points directly with my Angel Joan.'

Her life points dropped to nine hundred.

'I end my turn.'

'Looks like I'm up again,' she laughed as she drew a new card. 'Ah, now this is more like it,' she grinned. 'I lay one monster face down and end my turn.'

'Draw.' Again, not his third Fairy Dragon, not that it really mattered at this stage. 'I attack your face down card with my first Fairy Dragon.'

'Thought you would,' she clapped her hands excitedly, as her face down monster was destroyed. 'See my defensive monster was Masked Dragon, meaning I get to play another dragon, with fifteen hundred attack points or less, from my deck and I choose my second Masked Dragon.' She quickly sorted through her deck and placed another Masked Dragon down on the field in defence mode.

'Fine, guess I'll just have to attack that one with my other Fairy Dragon.'

'I thought you might do that,' she poked her tongue out childishly, as her second dragon was destroyed, 'time to summon a new dragon and I think I'm going to choose my third Masked Dragon.'

'So your life points are safe for this turn,' he rolled his eyes. 'You won't be so lucky next turn. I use my Angel Joan to destroy your third Masked Dragon.'

'And I get to play my Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 in defence mode,' she laughed again. 'Looks like just when you thought I was down for the count, my deck comes through for me.'

'You're bragging over one lucky turn?' Kaiba shook his head. 'I end.'

'Draw,' she slid the top card off her deck. 'Well what do you know, Pot of Greed, its always handy to have more than one of these in a deck,' swiftly she activated it and drew two more cards. 'Oh,' her eyes flashed excitedly, 'I think I'm going to enjoy this. First I activate Monster Reborn, in order to bring back one of my Masked Dragons, but its not going to be hanging around for too long,' she laughed once again, but this time it sounded much more arrogant and cruel than before, 'because next I sacrifice it, along with my Winged Dragon, in order to summon the one, the only, Blue Eyes White Dragon.'


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Yugi found himself almost laughing in shock when Kaiba's favoured Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared on the redhead's side on the field. It was an unbelievable impossibility for anyone, other than her opponent, to be playing that card. After all, he was the owner of the only three working Blue Eyes in existence. The fact she could play it was irrelevant, all Yugi really cared about was how the hell she had it in her deck to begin with. His eyes darted towards Tristan, the look of horror on his face said it all.

'But… but… but… how?'

'I'm a dreamer,' her voice was filled with an amused calm, 'and this is a dream deck.'

'But… I don't understand; why Blue Eyes?'

'Anything's possible in a dream. You're best friend can become your worst enemy or even your murderer in a dream. It doesn't mean they are or even that they ever will be. A dream isn't reality, so I can play your Blue Eyes and I can beat you with it. Speaking of which, I think it's about time I cleared the field of you Guardian Angel Joan.' Her gaze calmly focused on him. 'Your Sanctuary in the Sky may prevent you from getting any battle damage from my attack, but at least it'll be no threat to me. Go Blue Eyes, Neutron Blast Attack.'

Yugi watched as the redhead's Blue Eyes raised its head and aimed a blast of white light at Tristan's Angel Joan. It was nuts, with only nine hundred life points remaining she'd somehow managed to summon one of the games strongest monsters to the field. All she needed to do now was find a way to get rid of Tristan's field card and she could bring his life points down to zero in a matter of turns.

'I end,' a small smile filled her face as Guardian Angel Joan disappeared.

For a few moments, Tristan just stood there in shock. Then, shaking his head and visibly gritting his teeth, he drew the top card from his deck.

'I lay two more cards face down and end my turn.'

'Good. Draw,' she swiftly drew the top card from her deck. 'Time to say goodbye to your field card,' she slotted a card into her dueldisk, 'I activate Dust Tornado.'

A whirlwind stormed across the field, destroying Sanctuary in the Sky.

'Looks like your life points are wide open now,' she laughed. 'Well, to taking damage at least. Blue Eyes attack his first Fairy Dragon.'

Doing as it was told, her monster shot another beam of white light across the field, this time hitting one of Tristan's Fairy Dragons and knocking his life points down to eight thousand.

'I end.'

'Fine,' he angrily swiping the top card from his deck, 'I start off by playing Shallow Grave,' one of his three face downs activated, 'this allows us to summon back one monster from our graveyards and play it in face down defence.'

'Helping me out now, are we?' She smirked as a face down card appeared on both sides of the field.

'Hardly,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Next I switch my Fairy Dragon into defence mode, lay another face down and end my turn.'

'Looks like I get to draw again,' she slid the top card off her deck. 'Nothing I can use right now, but oh well, time to blast your other Fairy Dragon I think, Blue Eyes, White Lighting attack!'

'Not so fast,' Tristan held out his right arm as a disk of light flew towards Blue Eyes and encircled it, 'I'm playing Spellbinding Circle.'

'Whatever,' she shrugged, 'I'm sure I'll be able to free my monster soon enough. But until then, I end my turn.'

'Draw.'

* * *

Kaiba let out a deep sigh of relief as he looked down at the card he'd just drawn; his third Fairy Dragon. If she thought she had the upper hand in this little duel, she was about to be proven very, very wrong. Just because she could play a Blue Eyes didn't mean she had the first idea how to use it.

'It's time for you to meet a little friend of mine known as Fairy Dragon of the Way,' he smirked as he activated his face down Polymerisation card. 'All I have to do is fuse together the two Fairy Dragons I have on the field with the one in my hand.'

As he spoke a swirl of lights appeared on the field and a waist height, three headed Fairy Dragon materialised before him.

'Might have known you used Shallow Grave to bring back your other Fairy Dragon,' the girl laughed. 'After all, a good duellist like you always knows his game.'

'Whatever,' he rolled his eyes. 'Its time to say goodbye to the rest of your life points, because with an attack strength of four thousand it looks like this duel is over.'

As his Fairy Dragon's attack connected with the redhead's Blue Eyes and her side of the field became enveloped in a cloud of dust, he couldn't help but feel smugly satisfied. There were two things he hated more than anything; losing to a clearly inferior opponent and watching anyone but him using his Blue Eyes. If given the choice he would always chose to destroy his favourite monster rather than let it destroy him.

'Did you really think that would be enough to take me out Kaiba?' The redhead gave a dark sounding chuckle as the smoke cleared from her side of the field revealing that her life points hadn't decreased.

'What the…?'

'The card I drew last turn was Kuriboh, by discarding it from my hand I reduced my battle damage to zero and thus saved my life points, yet again,' an almost shark-like grin filled her face. 'Looks like I'm still in this, huh?'

'Whatever,' he tried to keep his cool, 'I end my turn.'

'Good, my draw now,' her eyes glinted with excitement as she stared down at the card in her hand. 'Well what do you know; it's another Pot of Greed, that makes three now, lucky me, huh?' Quickly she activated the card and drew two more from her deck. 'Oh how interesting; looks like you're not the only one with the ability to fuse a monster. I use Polymerisation to fuse the Masked Dragon I have face down on the Field with the Shadow Ghoul I've just drawn, in order to create Graveyard Masked Dragon.'

'What,' Kaiba took a step back, 'there's no such thing.'

'Oh, yes there is. Well there is now,' her whole face looked almost devilish as the ghoul like dragon, with twenty six hundred attack points, appeared on the field before her. 'This is a dream deck remember? And I'm about to change the rules of the game,' as she spoke her monsters attack rose to three thousand nine hundred.

'What just happened?'

'My monster is a fusion of Shadow Ghoul and Masked Dragon, remember? So it gets a power boost from every monster in my graveyard. On top of that, every time it's destroyed as a result of battle, I get to summon it back to the field with an additional two hundred attack points. Pretty sweet, huh?' She laughed in a way which made Kaiba's skin crawl. 'Well it's too weak to destroy your Fairy Dragon now, so I'll wait till next turn to attack.'

'Who said there was going to be a next turn?'

'Oh there will be a next turn, you mark my words,' her eyes widened with dark excitement. 'But, for now at least, I end my turn.'


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

'Okay I can't tell,' Joey frowned, 'is Kaiba winning this duel or not?'

'Well if we were going by life points, I'd say yes,' Yugi loosely folded his arms. 'But every time things look hopeless for that girl she somehow manages to pull it back.'

'Yeah, I had noticed and now she's even gone and created herself a duel monster that'll be able to take out his Fairy Dragon next turn for sure.' He shot a look in Duke's direction. 'Please tell me Piper has something more powerful than that thing in her deck.'

'Well if she does, I've never seen it,' Duke shook his head.

'So what does she normally do when her Fairy Dragon's threatened with destruction?'

'I don't think it's ever been threatened with destruction. It's normally her trump card.'

'Great,' he rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back towards the duel.

'If you thought that card was going to save you, you're sadly mistaken,' Tristan's voice had all of Kaiba's arrogant confident tones, 'because I activate my face down card Cestus of Dagla, to give my Fairy Dragon of the Way an extra five hundred point power boost. So say goodbye to your Graveyard Masked Dragon and six hundred of your life points.'

As her monster was destroyed and her life points dropped to three hundred, Tristan's increased to eight thousand six hundred.

'Is it me or is Piper's deck designed to constantly boost your life points?' Joey cocked an eyebrow.

'You're right,' Duke smirked. 'I mean, if you ignore the whole power side to the deck, by keeping her life points at an impossibly high level is it any wonder no one's ever seen her lose?'

'It was one of the reasons I couldn't see my brother playing with a deck like that,' Mokuba pulled a face. 'I mean, I could see elements of his style in there in places, but nothing about the deck is built to his taste. This isn't the kind of strategy he would normally duel with.'

'But maybe that's the point,' Joey tilted his head to one side. 'I mean, if your brother really has been leading some bizarre double life, he'd want to build a deck that wouldn't completely give him away. And it would have been him building that deck, because at the time he built it the Flip wouldn't have had enough personality to have her own taste.'

'How long does it take for a Flip to develop their own personality then?' Duke shot him a curious look.

'It depends on the Flip and how important it is for them to have a personality of their own,' he could feel himself becoming awkwardly tense. 'But at the end of the day it doesn't matter how long it took for the personality to develop, all that matters is how strong that personality becomes. The First could never ban the Pure from using Flips, but all three sisters agreed they were always more trouble than they were worth. It's why the Pure stopped using them altogether in the end.'

'So then wouldn't the Pure have warned Kaiba before he created Piper?'

'I've no doubt she did,' Joey hardened his jaw line, 'but I don't think that arrogant bastard would have cared what she said because we don't share their memories; we haven't seen everything they've seen, we don't know everything they know. All we have to go on is what they tell us and... well even I have to admit I find myself questioning the First's opinions on things occasionally. So I doubt someone like Kaiba would have taken the Pure's warning seriously.'

With feelings somewhere between disappointed disapproval and curious concern, Joey turned his attention back towards the field. The redhead drew a card from her deck as the Graveyard Masked Dragon reappeared on her side of the field, this time with four thousand one hundred attack points.

'I lay one card face down and end my turn.'

'Good,' now it was Tristan's turn to once again draw a card from his deck, 'looks like this duel is over anyway. Fairy Dragon of the Way attack her Graveyard Masked Dragon.'

His monster did as it was told, but as the dust settled it was clear the redhead's life points had remained untouched.

'Waboku,' her voice lost its darker tones and went back to its almost playful manner.

'Fine,' Tristan gritted his teeth, 'I end my turn.'

As she drew a new card her Graveyard Masked Dragon reappeared, this time four thousand three hundred attack points strong. In one more turn it would equal Tristan's Fairy Dragon and then things would really get interesting.

'Well what do you know,' she smirked, 'Change of Heart; now this is useful. I think I'm going to use it to take control of your Fairy Dragon.'

'Go ahead,' Tristan folded his arms, 'without any monsters on my side of the field, it's useless to you anyway.'

'So, at least your life points will be wide open to an attack from my Graveyard Masked Dragon,' she grinned. 'Say goodbye to half your life points.'

As Fairy Dragon of the Way crossed sides of the field, a black stream of light shot out of the Graveyard Masked Dragon's mouth, hitting Tristan directly and knocking his life points down to four thousand three hundred.

'I'm good,' her head ticked in a weird almost cocky manner, 'I think I'll end now.'

'Good,' Tristan drew a card, as his monster flipped back to his side of the field, 'time to show you how this is really done. Fairy Dragon of the Way attack her Graveyard Masked Dragon one last time.'

Again her monster was sent to the graveyard, her life points dropped to one hundred and his rose to four thousand five hundred.

'I lay one card face down and end my turn.'

'Looks like our monsters are finally equal,' the redhead grinned as the Graveyard Masked Dragon reappeared before her, 'time to clear the field of both I guess, Graveyard Masked Dragon attack!'

'You created a monster with the same strengths as Shadow Ghoul, but it also shares the same weaknesses,' Tristan began to laugh, as one of his face down cards suddenly activated, 'and I'm about to show you exactly what they are with this card, Soul Release.'

As five spirits filtered out of her Graveyard her monster's attack lowered to four thousand. Too late to call back her Dragon's attack, the redhead simply began to clap.

'Well done, you beat the dream. It's time for you and your friends to move on now.' A gate appeared behind her. 'But I'd keep the dueldisk if I were you; I think you're going to need it.'

* * *

'I believe it's time for us to have a little chat Kaiba,' Mai's voice grated into him, as the group made their way through the gate.

'This is hardly the time or the place for the type of chat you have in mind,' he turned his head away.

'Oh I beg to differ. In fact I think now is the absolute perfect time to have this little chat. And it will start with your honest answer to one bugging little question; are you Piper?'

'That's none of your business, Wheeler.'

'Oh no Kaiba, this is exactly my business,' Mai folded her arms, 'I'm a Mistress too, remember? And I know all about the Pure's Flip ability and quite frankly I'm more than a little disturbed at how easily you decided to Flip gender of all things,' she followed these words up with a perturbed noise and shuddering gesture. 'I mean, seriously Kaiba if you have some gender issues you need to work out that's fine, but the Flip is probably the most stupid, foolish method you could possibly use.'

'I don't have gender issues,' Kaiba glared at her, 'this was about hiding my identity and unfortunately this was the only Flip which would do that completely.'

'A wig and a pair of sunglasses not good enough for you rich boy?' Mai rolled her eyes. 'Or is that just too normal?'

'It wasn't just about hiding my identity,' he gritted his teeth, 'it was about getting out of my own head for a while. But I wouldn't expect someone as empty headed as you to understand.'

'You know she's going to be difficult to get rid of when you're finished _getting out of your own head_, right?'

'Why do you think I created a touch item for her,' he folded his arms. 'I'm not an idiot; I discussed the whole thing with the Pure first. I had to in order to get her to release that part of her power to me to begin with.'

'Well I'm glad to know she has enough sense not to just let you do this,' Mai rolled her eyes. 'But even so, I think you're underestimating just how hard she's going to be to get rid of.'

'I created her so I'll be able to destroy her,' Kaiba held his ground, 'there's nothing for you to worry about.'

'Who said I'm worried?' She gave a callous shrug. 'I just want to be there when the fallout of this stupidity happens; because, trust me, sooner or later there will be fallout.'

'What happened to the Pure isn't going to happen to me; I've taken precautions...'

'You don't get it, do you,' Mai cut him off, 'but then, you always were too arrogant for your own good.'

Before he had a chance to reply, the gate banged shut behind them and a familiar voice sounded.

'Who's too arrogant for their own good?'

On mass they all turned back towards the gate to see SK stood there staring at them in confusion.

'Jay,' Yugi and Covo both flocked energetically towards him.

The others soon joined them, leaving Kaiba stood on his own feeling a well of emotions rolling through him. To say he was disappointed would have been an understatement. He was more than disappointed; this was not the outcome he was hoping for after all the hassle he'd gone through duelling the redhead. He turned away from the group in order to hide any cracks in his composure.

'Tristan I'm sorry,' he kept his voice low so only he could hear it, 'but I promise I'll win you back. I promise.'


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

Within minutes of finding himself surrounded by the others, Jay had already discovered just how twisted the little game they were playing was. Or at least how twisted it was if you believed Tristan. As Jay found his tongue skating across his lips more than once during the explanation he couldn't help but think two things; the first was how he'd never wanted to be _this_ close to SK again and the second was how the hell someone had decided swapping identities was easier than swapping bodies.

Then again there was something about this place which seemed to seamlessly blur the lines between reality and fantasy. It was almost like being awake in a dream. But was the infantile Crovell really powerful and smart enough to have created a space like this all by himself? Jay had to admit it was a more believable idea than thinking the gods were the ones to create this place. But then the question really had to be asked; why the hell stage all this in a dream-like world to begin with? Was it really just so anything would be possible?

The idea was almost unreal, but that's what made it so _interesting_.

'So,' he gave a strange half laugh as he followed Catilin and the others through the thick forest the sixth challenge had landed them in, 'these things been particularly hard so far?'

'Nu-uh,' Catilin shook her head, 'they've been like playing a game show.'

'Well that's fine by me,' he grinned. 'So, any clue why we're all mirrors?'

'No,' she pressed her lips together, 'but I think it has something to do with the last clue; to walk a mile is to know the truth. When boundaries blur the line becomes clear.'

'Well that at least suggests we're supposed to break this little _spell_ we're under somehow,' Jay folded his arms. 'But I don't know if we're supposed to do it by learning something from the person we think we are or by showing just how much like them we are. Personally I'm hoping it's the learning something from them one.'

'Why?'

'Because I'm not sure I really want to be that much like SK,' he licked his lips. 'Don't get me wrong, the guy's alright as far as people go. But if we didn't both work for the Mistresses I doubt the two of us would even move in the same circles.' '

'You think?' Catilin blinked at him.

'No, I pretty much know. I mean, I'm not saying either of us are judgemental people, but... let's face it, if it wasn't for Octan I would never have been selected to become one of the Mistresses Guardians, never mind anything else. On my own I'm nothing special and I certainly can't boast any real level of intelligence. I think I'd have probably made it onto Dee's Council, but... SK and I were made for two completely different worlds; the multiverse just conspired to bring us together.'

'I didn't know you thought of yourself in such a sad way,' Catilin pulled a face. 'You are special Jay, with or without Octan.'

'Yeah, well...' he licked his lips again, 'never mind that, tell me how did Kaiba do it? Break the spell I mean?'

'I don't really know,' she tilted her head to one side, 'he didn't really explain it and what he did say was just confusing. But then most of what Kaiba says gets confusing, he's kinda weird like that.'

'I can't believe you of all people think Kaiba is weird,' Jay couldn't help but laugh.

'Kaiba is weird. Weird and scary,' she frowned. 'I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me.'

'As much as I hate to say it, you're probably right there,' he gave a heavy. 'So do you think you could run all these clues by me again?'

'Uh-huh,' Catilin nodded. 'I am. Reflection. I reflect. You are. Reflection. You reflect. The dreamer sleeps, the sleeper dreams. What once was sees what now is. To walk a mile is to know the truth. When boundaries blur the line becomes clear.'

'Why do I feel like I should understand the meaning behind them better than I do,' Jay shook his head. 'Maybe I really am SK, I mean, I know for a fact he wouldn't know what to do with any of this.'

'I feel like that every time I tried to think,' Catilin bounced on her heels slightly as they walked. 'It's like my brain wants to do one thing but I'm telling it to do something else. Like in a dream.'

'Huh?'

'When you're asleep asleep and not just a little bit asleep and your inner mind is controlling what happens in your dreams, you can think one thing and do another. It's like... like when you dream you can fly but you remain close to the ground. Or, or, or when you...'

'I think I get it,' Jay cut her off. 'I guess all roads are pointing to this being some kind of dream reality no matter how much we try to analyse it.'

'Is that bad?'

'No, but it does leave us with just as many questions as we had to begin with,' his tongue skated across his lips. 'Like why set a game in a dream reality? Why not set it in the real world? What does having us all think we're different people than who we are really have to do with anything? I mean, seriously, this situation is insane.'

'I don't know,' Catilin pressed her lips together, 'I think its...' she hesitated, clearly trying to find the word she needed, 'poignant.'

'Okay, you're going to have to explain what you mean by that,' Jay cocked an eyebrow at her. 'How is all this craziness _poignant_?'

'Maybe I used the wrong word, but... it feels like this could only be a dream. Dreams make you face things whether you want to or not, that's why they can be scary. But they can be happy and fun too. And safe and... lots of things. I don't know what the word is I need, but I can see how making us play here makes sense. Especially if we have no powers.'

'Yeah,' his tongue glanced over his lips again as he stared down at his own hands, 'I guess I can see a little bit of logic there. But wouldn't it have been better not to take our powers away completely? I mean, if we think we're someone else anyway wouldn't trying to use someone else's powers prove difficult for us? Octan told me once that even if you have the same abilities as someone else you might use them in a different way because of how you bring them out. It's why he made me learn how to use my own powers properly before he let me try to use his.'

'I didn't know you could use Octan's powers,' she stared at him.

'That's because I was never any good at it,' his tongue skated across his lips, 'even the basic powers which were similar to my own handled weirdly. In the end I gave up and Octan made some innocuous comment about it being harder to learn how to use someone else's powers when you have powers of your own.'

'Huh, so that's why hiet braysta relies on his own and not on the First's,' Catilin tilted her head back and forth, 'I did wonder. But I've never had any trouble with Win's.'

'Probably because you're a Calicaccu,' he licked his lips again and rolled his eyes, 'there's probably something instinctive about it for you. Or... I don't know; you're just weird Cat.'

'Maybe, but... maybe a lot of things,' she shrugged and pulled a face at her own incoherent statement.

It was now a large stone wall came into view. Sat neatly into the wall almost directly ahead of them was a large metal gate.

'Okay,' Joey came to a stop, 'anyone else think that was way too easy?'

'And you're complaining?' Tristan folded his arms.

'No, just slightly worried. I mean, I don't think walking through a forest is much of a challenge; there has to be some kind of catch.'

Almost in response to his statement a loud screeching roar ripped through the air.

'What was that?'

'That, Wheeler, would be the dragon you wanted to face in our first challenge,' Tristan rolled his eyes.

'Ha, ha, ha, very funny.'

'Who said I was joking?'

The beastly cry was heard again and a blast of cold air shot down at them to the beating sound of descending wings. Straining their gaze upwards, they witnessed the graceful landing of a large white dragon and his knighted rider.

'Paladin of White Dragon,' Joey took half a step back, 'no wonder the redhead told you to hold onto your dueldisk Kaiba.'

'Who here wishes to pass my gate?' The Paladin's voice was deep and booming.

'We all do,' Catilin shot him a sweet smile.

'And who of you is willing to put your soul on the line in order to get through?'

'I think it's safe to assume at this stage we all do,' despite his earlier concern, Joey's voice was now calm and level.

'Then choose your strongest warrior and let them prove their worth against me.'

'What do you mean, prove their worth?'

'You mean in a battle don't you,' a grin stalked its way across Catilin's face, 'like knights of old.'

'Wait,' Joey blinked, 'you mean one of us has to fight a duel monster.'

'Uh-huh hiet braysta, but more too,' she flicked the Duel Soul card out of her pocket, 'one of us has to become a duel monster.'

'But not all of us have our own cards,' Ahna shook her head.

'We do, we do, we do, we're all mirrors, remember? Bet you anything when Kaiba activates this card I'll become Duel Soul.'

'And if you're wrong, I'll be the one having to fight him,' Yugi shot her a look.

'But that's okay because you don't mind, right?'

'I…'

'We're not playing Duel Soul,' Tristan cut him off. 'It might be a strong monster, but it's a spell caster, not a warrior.'

'And?' Joey half glared at him.

'I believe we've been asked to put our strongest warrior up, not our strongest spell caster.'

'But we only have four warriors.'

'Then I guess it'll have to be one of them,' Tristan smirked as he activated the dueldisk on his arm, 'and I vote for the…'

'I don't think so Kaiba,' Joey grabbed hold of his arm, 'if anyone is going to challenge him then it's going to be…'

'Don't make me laugh; I'm the one with the dueldisk so I'm the one who decides,' he snatched his arm back. 'And I choose the Blue Eyes Knight.'


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

The shimmering Blue Eyes armour fitted perfectly, but the face staring out at them was defiantly Tristan's. This one fact alone appeared to confirm everything he'd been saying about their backwards perspectives. After all, if their minds had been altered to see the real Kaiba as Tristan, then even with him as the Blue Eyes Knight, that's what they'd see. It made Joey feel more than a little glad the Lady of the Seven Harpies wasn't played. He already looked like a pregnant man, the last thing he needed was to be a pregnant man in a dress.

'Okay I'm ready,' Tristan the Blue Eyes Knight met the Paladin of White Dragon's gaze.

'Impressive,' the Paladin smirked, 'two dragon warriors going up against each other,' he leapt down from the white beast he was riding, 'this should make things interesting.' In one swift beating of its wings, his dragon took flight again. 'Call your dragon.'

'What?' Tristan blinked at him.

'Call your dragon. If you're really a Blue Eyes Knight, you should be able to call your dragon.'

'Okay…'

Joey watched as the Blue Eyes Knight took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. For a long couple of minutes there was complete and utter silence and Joey found himself resisting the temptation to taunt him for failing so miserably. Then, to his amazement, the calm was broken by the all too familiar cry of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

'No way,' Joey's eyes bulged as the legendry beast descended from the sky. 'How the hell did rich boy pull that one off?'

'Simple Wheeler,' Tristan smirked, 'the Blue Eyes Knight's special ability allows it to summon a Blue Eyes from a duellist or their opponent's hand, deck or graveyard.'

'So explain again exactly where that,' he pointed towards the dragon, 'came from.'

'The redhead's graveyard,' Catilin giggled as she bounced on the spot.

'No,' Joey shook his head, 'you cannot tell me that's where it came from, because that Blue Eyes wasn't even real.'

'Anyone would think you didn't want me to complete this challenge Wheeler,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'does it really matter where the Blue Eyes came from?'

'Yes,' he folded his arms stubbornly, 'because it's the fate of my children at stake here and so far everybody but me has been doing all the work.'

'And you're complaining because…?'

'Because they're my children, if anyone should be responsible for their safety it should be me.'

'Tough luck Wheeler,' Tristan shrugged callously, 'I guess this'll make you think twice before inflicting your offspring onto the world.' He turned his attention back towards the Paladin. 'So exactly what is it you want me to do?'

* * *

Kaiba had hated wearing the Blue Eyes armour the first time round and he wasn't exactly thrilled to be in it again. Still if it would help him get Tristan back, that's all that mattered. According to the Paladin, the sixth challenge was a race with the two of them riding the Blue Eyes they had summoned. Kaiba almost felt disappointed at the simplicity of it. After all, he'd been more than prepared for some kind of dragon battle or duel or something. But he wasn't going to complain, especially not when he was in the lead.

Without warning a fiery blast connected with the side of his dragon, knocking him off balance and almost causing him to fall off his dragon.

'What the…!' He glanced in the direction the blast had come from as he readjusted his position on his right.

Not too far behind him was what looked like a Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress. As he stared at it another fiery ball formed in the monster's mouth. Lowering his position on Blue Eyes, he managed to get it to swerve out of the line of fire. He then got the dragon to slow to a stop and turn towards their attacker.

'Well looks like this isn't going to be so simple after all,' he smirked. 'Okay Blue Eyes, let's show this pest what a real dragon's attack looks like. White Lightning attack!'

A ball of white light formed in his dragon's mouth firing a stream of energy across at the Wing Dragon, destroying it instantly. Giving a smug half laugh, he turned his Blue Eyes back round in order to continue the race. But as he did he was hit by another blast.

'You've got to be kidding me,' his eyes bulged slightly as he spotted the swarming crowd of dragons forming around him. 'I don't have time for this.'

Beneath him, his Blue Eyes gave its shrill cry.

'What, you think we should fight are way out?'

The dragon cried again.

'Fine, if that's what you want.'

Rearing its head back, the Blue Eyes formed another ball of light and, moving its head along the circle of dragons, began firing a continuous stream. But for every dragon he took out, three more took its place.

'This is nuts.'

'You're telling me,' the Paladin appeared almost out of nowhere beside him, 'we must be flying through their territory.'

'Isn't this something you should have checked out before starting this race?'

'I thought I had, but I guess they claimed a bigger area than I realised.'

'So what do we do? How do we get rid of them?'

'What kind of warrior are you? We fight them of course.'

'But there are too many of them.'

'Don't tell me you're afraid.'

'Don't be stupid.'

'Then catch,' the Paladin through a sword across to him.

'What am I supposed to do with this?'

'You do what every good knight does,' he spoke as though the answer were obvious, 'you slay the dragons.'

* * *

'So how do we think rich boy is doing?' Joey gave a heavy sigh as he carefully sat himself down on a stone next to the gate. 'Think he's lost yet?'

'Joey,' Mai shot him a scolding look, 'he's doing this for you, remember?'

'Funny, I don't remember asking him to. And besides, I think I'm the last person he's doing this for.'

'Full house,' Catilin's voice was as loud as it was sudden.

'I'm sorry Cat, what?' Jay cocked an eyebrow at her.

'I was thinking about everything that's going on and it came to me, we have a full house,' she grinned, 'we have twelve players.'

'At what point exactly did you lose your ability to count?' Joey shot her a funny look. 'We only have nine players Cat.'

'Nu-uh we have twelve; think about it Ahna is Covo, Jay is SK and...'

'Rich boy is Tristan, or Tristan is rich boy, however you want to put it.'

'Uh-huh,' she nodded, 'doesn't that make twelve?'

'And your point is?'

'We have a full house so we've won.'

'How do you figure that?'

'Because we have a full house, even if we lose three players for the next three challenges we still have a full house. Well if we get rid of the right people that is. So we've won, right?'

'Maybe,' Joey frowned in thought, 'we'll see.'


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

As the swarm of dragons continued to grow, he quickly realised there was no way through. The whole situation was starting to look impossibly hopeless and unless they figured out a solution to it soon, Kaiba was pretty certain things would go from bad to worse.

'Why have you stopped?' The Paladin glared at him.

'Fighting's not working,' he shook his head, 'we have to go back, find another route.'

'There is no other route.'

'Fine, you stay here, I'm going back.'

'You mean you're forfeiting the race?'

'No, I'm going to find another route, preferably one that isn't blocked by a hoard of dragons.'

'I told you, this is the only route.'

Ignoring him, Kaiba turned his Blue Eyes round, only to discover the swarm had completely encircled them.

'We can't fight our way through them,' he gritted his teeth, 'there has to be another way.'

'What kind of a knight are you? There is only one way. You have to fight the dragons.'

'If that really was the only way, why isn't it working?'

'Because you're not fighting.'

'Whatever,' he rolled his eyes.

For a few long moments he found himself trying to figure out a solution to this whole mess. And as he did his attention turned towards the dueldisk still active on his arm. Piper's deck was slotted neatly into it and the Blue Eyes Knight lay face up in attack mode. He knew from previous experience real monsters can't hurt holograms and holograms can't hurt real monsters. So what if the reason this swarm was so hard to break through was because they were just holograms doing battle with real monsters? It wasn't a perfect fit for this situation, considering the fire ball he'd initially been struck with; but the rule did have a few exceptions and that might have just been one of them.

'Okay, it's time to fight light with light,' he didn't know where his sudden confidence in this idea had come from, but he wasn't going to argue with it, 'I summon Fairy Dragon of the Garden.'

Rapidly beating its dragonfly styled wings, in order to stay in flight, the delicate pink and white dragon appeared before him.

'What the hell kind of a knight are you?' The Paladin's voice was filled with disgust. 'What use is that poor excuse for a dragon to anyone? It's a girl's pet!'

'Is that what you think,' he smirked.

'I've seen female warriors with more fearsome looking beasts then that,' his lips curled, 'you're an embarrassment to your title.'

'Whatever,' he rolled his eyes, 'you'll be eating those words soon enough.'

'I doubt it.'

'Well then maybe its time I showed you what this _girl's pet _can really do.'

* * *

Mokuba was still feeling pretty confused about the whole identity mix up thing. He didn't want to keep thinking about it, but every single time someone like Catilin brought it up it just made his head hurt. More so when he knew some of the others still didn't totally buy it. Or maybe they did believe it but still found it so confusing it was just easier not to think about it.

He gave a heavy sigh and turned his attention towards the skyline. Tristan, or rather his brother who currently looked like Tristan, still hadn't returned yet. He'd been gone for a ridiculously long time now and Mokuba was starting to get seriously worried about him. What if he'd come off the dragon somewhere and fallen to his death? What if the Paladin had turned out to be some sort of psychopath and his brother was currently fighting for his life? What if...?

'Shouldn't they be back by now?' Mokuba cut off his own thoughts. 'I mean, how long does it take to race a couple of Blue Eyes?'

'Maybe Kaiba fell off and he's too embarrassed to come back and tell us he lost,' Joey shrugged.

'That's a terrible thing to say,' Mai shook her head, 'he is doing this for you, remember.'

'Will people please stop saying that, you're making me gag,' he rolled his eyes. 'You're all acting like rich boy is some kind of god, when deep down we all know he's just a cold hearted jerk.'

'That's not true,' Mokuba balled his fists.

'Of course it is and everybody knows it. He's a jerk and I hope he has fallen off his precious Blue Eyes.'

'What exactly is your problem with my brother,' he found himself challenging the older boy. 'You've done nothing but gripe about him since I got here. I mean, I know you're not his biggest fan, but you're never normally this bad.'

'I have my reasons.'

'And just what are those reasons exactly?'

'Well for a start he just stood there and watched as your evil future counterpart tore Tristan's soul card in two,' Mai gritted her teeth as her hands balled into fists. 'I'd say that was enough reason to be seriously pissed off at the guy.'

'You're right, it is,' Mokuba rocked back slightly, 'and I know how much he blames himself for it. But from what he told me there really wasn't anything he could have done to stop it and all he wants to do now is put it right.'

'This isn't something you can just put right Mokuba,' a strange look flittered across Joey's face. 'But it is something someone as selfish and cold as your brother can manipulate if he wants to. Hell we all know he has Tristan practically on a leash just because he can; keeping him around to keep the Pure happy and to appease his own sense of guilt.'

'You're wrong,' Mokuba shook his head, 'my brother cares about Tristan. I know he's too stubborn to admit it, even to himself, but I know he cares.'

'How can you be so sure about that? You have no idea what's really going on inside your brother's head.'

'I don't need to see what's going on inside his head to know how much he cares about Tristan,' he knew he was speaking out of turn, but he couldn't stop himself. 'It's there in all the little things he does whether he realises it or not. He cares, I know he cares.'

'How can you be so sure it's him and not the Pure?'

'Because I know the difference between them and I saw how he was when the power block was still in place,' Mokuba turned his head away. 'So I know... I know he cares and there's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.'

'There really is no question about it in your mind, is there?' An odd look crossed Joey's face.

'Of course there isn't.'

'Why not?'

'Because I know... I know with everything in me that it's the truth.'

'But you have no hard evidence,' Joey shook his head, 'no real proof. All you have is what your instincts are telling you.'

'And I trust those instincts.'

'But what if you're wrong? What if you're mistaking the Pure's feelings for your brothers? And what if he is as well? He's already proven he struggles to separate himself out from her and, as much as I hate to speak badly of the Pure, I know she'd take advantage of that. So how can you be so sure he cares?'

'Because I am. I told you, I trust my instincts.'

'Well that's not good enough for me. I need real evidence that your brother is the one who cares.'

'Why?'

'Because I will not let Tristan get hurt by him,' Joey gritted his teeth. 'I know we're not as close as we used to be, but he's still one of my best friends and I will not let anyone hurt him.'

'My brother would never...'

'You don't know that and that's the problem,' Mai suddenly stepped into the conversation. 'Right now none of us know for certain if Kaiba's managed to sort his own feelings out from the Pure's and that's what makes this situation so dangerous. Because it's not just Tristan who'll get hurt if things go wrong.'

'The First will not allow anyone to hurt the Pure again,' Joey's voice was filled with notes of sadness as he took over from Mai, 'not even her host. You have to understand this situation is a lot more complicated than any of us would care to admit and in order for there to be a happy ended there can't be any doubt about who feels what. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' Mokuba's voice was as mute as he felt, 'I understand.'


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Kaiba's plan had worked; his holographic Fairy Dragon had ripped through the swarm, allowing enough of an opening for him and the Paladin to guide their Blue Eyes safely through. But now the race was really back on and somehow the Paladin had managed to get a jump on him. Gritting his teeth, Kaiba leaned closer into his dragon compelling it to fly faster, but the distance between him and his competitor widened.

The Paladin was almost impossibly far ahead now. If he didn't do something soon there was just no way he was going to win. The thought of losing caused a sick feeling to move through his entire body; Kaiba hated to lose at the best of times and this was definitely not the best of times. The sharp sound of a commotion up ahead of him caused his head to jolt upwards. The Paladin's original white dragon had come out of nowhere and was rebelling against its master. As it did the distance between Kaiba and his opponent narrowed.

There was something about the timing of it which made Kaiba laugh almost involuntarily; like someone wanted him to win this race or something. As his Blue Eyes flew past the Paladin, he ordered it to fire several warning shots at the smaller white dragon. Kaiba liked winning, but he liked winning fairly; anything else just felt like a hollow victory.

'Thanks,' the Paladin gave a nod of appreciation as his white dragon backed off.

'Whatever,' he shrugged as he pulled ahead, 'I have a race to win.'

* * *

A strange, sulky silence had descended upon the group as they continued to wait for Kaiba's return. It had started with Mokuba, who'd remained unhappy with Joey's attitude towards his brother. From him it had spread to Duke, although no one was quite sure why. Seeing him like this had set Catilin off. Yugi was next to fall victim to the gloom and it had simply escalated from there.

The atmosphere was so heavy with bad feeling that Jay barely even blinked when he spotted the returning Blue Eyes on the horizon. It didn't seem to matter anymore who'd won the race or even that it was over. He just wanted to get this whole maddening situation over and done with.

'So rich boy, you win, or not?' Joey's voice drawled with boredom as the dragon landed and Tristan the Blue Eyes Knight jumped swiftly off.

'What do you think?' Tristan was cool and calm as he removed the soul card from his dueldisk and returned to his normal form.

'I think it took you way too long.'

'Whatever.'

'You still didn't answer my question.'

'I won,' he rolled his eyes, 'obviously.'

As he said this, the gate they'd been waiting by slowly began to open.

'Great,' Jay's own voice toned with sarcasm, 'wonder what exciting challenge they have in store for us next.'

'Who cares?' Mokuba shrugged as the group made its way through the gate. 'The sooner we get out of this place, the better.'

'No arguments here.'

On the other side of the gate was a large room filled with row upon row of dull, dust covered mirrors. The sight was almost creepy enough as it was before you took into account the fact not one of the mirrors reflected a single member of their group. This disturbing feature was made even worse as the gate slammed shut behind them and a deathly coldness descended upon the room.

'Welcome to Carnival Town,' Jay rolled his eyes, 'anyone up for the House of Mirrors?'

'That's not funny Jay,' Duke swallowed hard, 'this place is creepy enough as it is.'

'I know what you mean,' he shuddered as his tongue skated across his lips. 'Anyone else suddenly feeling like a ghost?'

'Two lame jokes in less than a minute, that has to be a new record for you,' Ahna shot him a look.

'You know what I mean,' he pointed towards the mirrors, 'it's like we don't exist.'

His words caused an uneasy silence to weigh down around the group. For a few long moments everyone made edgy little movements as they tried to individually figure out just what the hell they were supposed to do next.

'This place is just too creepy,' Mai shuddered, 'I don't think I want to be here anymore.'

'Oh come on,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'one room full of mirrors and you all become…'

He cut himself off as all the colour drained from his face. For a few long moments he just stood there, his wide eyes focused intensely on a single mirror. Then, without saying a word, he took off into the maze of reflectionless glass. It was just about the last thing any of them needed in that moment and the uncertain glances the group shot around at each other just made it feel that much worse.

'Okay…' Joey gave an awkward half laugh, 'anyone know what that was about?'

'It was almost like he saw a ghost,' Jay's tongue skated across his lips again.

'Jay, you're dead, you're not allowed to keep saying things like that,' Ahna shook her head, 'it's just disturbing.'

'Oh shut up,' he licked his lips for a third time, 'do you always have to be so negative?'

'I'm not being negative,' she folded her arms.

'Well it sure seems that way to me,' his tongue once again made its way across his lips.

'Will you stop that already,' she glared at him, 'the constant lip licking is annoying enough when SK does it and you're nowhere near as neurotic as he is. Seriously, what are you trying to say about him here? That lip licking is part of his physicality or something? That his body does it just because it can?'

'I don't know, it's not like I can control it,' Jay rolled his eyes, 'I'm not even aware that I am doing it half the time. So, yeah, maybe it is something his body does automatically without him even thinking about it. Maybe it's not a neurotic habit, maybe it's some kind of uncontrollable physical tick.'

'Right and next you'll be telling me SK's not actually neurotic, just misunderstood.'

'Stop fighting,' Catilin suddenly placed herself between the two of them, 'please stop fighting; I don't like it. I don't like it and I don't want you two to fight. Please stop fighting.'

'Shut up Cat,' Ahna and Jay's voices sounded almost in unison.

'I just want you to stop fighting,' Catilin's lower lip quivered, 'there's no need to shout at me like that.'

'Everybody calm down right now,' Joey interjected himself into their argument, 'there's no need for everyone to be getting this worked up. The fate of my children are at stake here or had you all forgotten?'

'Sorry,' guilt filtered its way through Jay's whole body, 'but it's hard to stay calm when this place is designed to get under your skin. And I mean that literally, we're all under someone else's skin right now, aren't we?'

'If that's how you choose to look at it,' Joey half turned his head away.

'I don't think we have a choice,' he gave a heavy sigh, 'because I think the people we really are, are trying their hardest to reassert themselves.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'I think I get what he means,' Mai tilted her head to one side, 'I've noticed it personally a few times now, when I'll say or think something which I know I wouldn't say or think normally. It's like I can feel my real self starting to poke through, but my brain is constantly trying to override it.'

'Can't say I've noticed it myself,' Joey gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

'You're lying and I know you're lying,' she narrowed her gaze on him, 'I've seen little bits of myself in the way you act and I know the reverse is true. Jay is right; this whole place has been designed to get under our skins. The real question here is; are we supposed to let it?'


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

They'd won him back. They'd won Tristan back; Kaiba had seen his reflection staring at him with cold accusation in one of the otherwise lifeless mirrors. It had been there, just for a second, before disappearing. Without hesitation Kaiba had taken off into the maze of mirrors after him. A sick feeling pulled and tugged through his stomach as he tried to figure out why Tristan would stare at him with so much anger. So many different reasons made their way through his head, but they all came down to the same thing. Kaiba had betrayed Tristan's trust; first by allowing the fake Mokuba to destroy his soul card and then by picking his soul card when they lost their challenge.

If Kaiba were being honest with himself there was probably a dozen or more reasons in between those two events as well, but right now... right in this moment... all he really cared about was finding Tristan and convincing him to forgive him for everything. Up until that moment he hadn't realised just how much he needed Tristan to forgive him for what had happened back then, but now he knew... he knew with everything in him there was only one way he'd ever be able to move forward.

The maze of mirrors he found himself in was larger than it appeared and it was near impossible to navigate. There was also something about it which made it feel as though every step he took shifted the world around him in a disorientating manner. The only thing that kept him going, were the glimpses he would catch of Tristan in the otherwise reflectionless mirrors. Somewhere in his head he knew this situation didn't make a whole lot of sense, but then nothing about this world Crovell had created made a whole lot of sense. The dream was becoming a nightmare and before Kaiba had a chance to realise what was happening, he found himself boxed in by a cage made of dull mirrors.

'Uh... no...' Kaiba took half a step back as his eyes darted around in search of some kind of opening.

As they did one of the dark mirrors snapped into colour, but instead of reflecting what stood before it, it revealed an oceanic view. A view Kaiba recognised.

'No... please... no...'

'What's wrong Seto?' A familiar voice sounded out of nowhere. 'That dreams just a reflection of your own guilt, isn't it? So what are you so afraid of?'

'Tristan?' Kaiba turned a full circle, but couldn't see anyone. 'Where... where are you?'

'Uh-uh-uh Seto, I asked you a question, you're not allowed to ask me one in return. So tell me, if this dream is just a reflection of your own guilt, why does it frighten you so much?'

'Why are you making it sound like guilt can't cause people to have nightmares,' Kaiba gritted his teeth. 'People suffer from guilt driven nightmares all the time.'

'I guess there's some truth to that, but I think you're missing the point here,' the surface of one of the other mirrors began to shimmer and slowly the Sharpshooter emerged from it.

'Tristan?'

'I'm not Tristan,' the Sharpshooter shook his head, 'well not the Tristan you know at any rate. I'm not even really the Sharpshooter; I'm little more than a reconstruction.'

'A reconstruction? I... I don't understand...'

'Crovell is a very powerful child. He was also present during the time leading up to my destruction. Both of these facts mean he was able to recreate me perfectly, with my true personality as well.'

'True personality?'

'Soul cards are reflections of their masters, that doesn't mean they _are_ their masters.'

'So... if Crovell managed to bring you back, does this mean...?'

'Don't be so stupid,' the Sharpshooter cut him off, 'my card doesn't exist anymore and not even my Master could repair the rift created by my destruction. I am nothing than smoke and mirrors, created just for you; my existence is only temporary.'

'I…'

'So this is what your guilt looks like,' he cut him off again, indicated towards the mirror, which now reflected an endless sea of moving people. 'I'll have to remember that the next time someone asks me why you take care of him.'

'But...'

'You know, I had no idea just how powerful guilt was. Thanks for showing me.'

'But…'

'But what? This dream is a reflection of your guilt, right? That's what you keep telling yourself so it must be true. And we both know your guilt is the only reason you bother taking care of him, right?' He folded his arms.

'But…'

'Is that all you can say for yourself? Is that all the defence you can muster?' The Sharpshooter laughed. 'You're pathetic. But you know something,' his eyes glanced back towards the mirror, 'if that dream is a reflection of your own guilt, then why does he get the end of it?'

'Get the end of it?' Kaiba frowned in confusion. 'What do you mean?'

'It didn't start off that way, of course. Not that he wasn't getting his own little nightmare,' he tilted his head to one side, 'but somewhere along the way he started getting dragged into the end of yours.'

'Dragged into mine? You mean, I started pulling him in?'

'Who knows; maybe you pulled him in, maybe he walked in by accident. All I know is at some point his nightmare met with your nightmare and you both have to suffer through that nice little ending.'

'I... I don't understand...'

'No, I can see that and I'm not sure I would expect you to right now. But I do know the Master has his own little theory about this,' he smirked slightly. 'As you must well know the Pure and Win are capable of dream sharing, it's part of their telepathic connection; it is also something you and Tristan have already demonstrated you're capable of. But the fact neither of you are aware of the dream sharing this time suggests that your individual subconscious have discovered some kind of common ground. It also means the dream is supposed to have a different ending, but right now your own individual fears are standing in the way of it.'

'I... I'm not sure I understand.'

'You and Tristan have both allowed your individual nightmares to become a shared nightmare, when in reality the ending is supposed to be a dream. And since we are in a land of dreams right now, my Master has decided to give you the chance to see the real ending to yours,' the Sharpshooter met and held his gaze.

'I see.'

'I'm not sure you do, not yet anyway. Do you remember you were told before you would be treated differently to the others? Well this is part of your individual challenge. If you succeed you will be rewarded with a glimpse of your own future. If you fail you will pay with your life.'

'What?' Kaiba took half a step back.

'Oh come on, you and I both know how this shared nightmare of yours ends. You die and he's the one who kills you. This may be a dreamer's reality, but no one said the danger in this world wasn't real.'

'But I thought...'

'I know exactly what you thought; it's what all of you have been thinking about this whole situation. That if this world is nothing more than a dream then nothing can really hurt you. Well you're wrong.'

'I should have known...'

'Yes, you should have,' the Sharpshooter's face filled with a slight smile, 'but I wouldn't worry too much about it. You've been given the opportunity to see a glimpse of your future; don't you want to take it?'

'All I have to do to get it is overcome this little nightmare of mine, right?'

'Of course.'

'And just why exactly is Crovell so interested in me overcoming my own fears?' Kaiba found himself studying the Sharpshooter for a moment.

'Because certain things which might happen won't happen if you don't.'

'And let me guess these things which _might_ happen are things Crovell is interested in actually happening?'

'It is definitely a future he is interested in,' the Sharpshooter's voice gave very little away. 'But right now this little nightmare of yours is standing in the way of everything.'

Kaiba continued to stare at him for a few long moments, before turning his gaze towards the mirror, which now depicted the ballroom scene. He wasn't sure exactly what future it was Crovell was trying to ensure by doing this, but he would be lying if he didn't say he wasn't curious.

'So what exactly do I have to do here? How do I turn this nightmare into a dream?'

'You work out the real meaning behind the nightmarish aspects of it,' he gave a callous shrug. 'Right now you believe all of this is nothing more than a manifestation of your own guilt, but if you think a little harder about it you might find it's telling a very different story.'

'I see.'

'So are you accepting the challenge then?'

'I guess I am,' Kaiba almost couldn't believe the level of certainty he was feeling.

'Well that's I was hoping to hear,' the Sharpshooter's voice toned with amusement. 'Piece of advice though, if you don't want to face your own death, you might want to hide your card...'

'I've already got it all planned out,' Kaiba cut him off, 'and I've no doubt I'll work out what this dream really means long before that point.'

'If you're so sure you can, why haven't you worked it out already?'

'Because I wasn't ready to before,' he took a calm but confident breath in, 'but I'm more than ready to now.'


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

'So why exactly are we looking for rich boy when we should be trying to complete this challenge,' Joey used his hands to support his lower back before shooting a bored look in the direction of the ceiling.

'Because my brother was responsible for completing the last two challenges for us,' Mokuba glared at him, 'and whether you like it or not he's a part of this team.'

'You've got me all wrong here,' he gave a heavy sigh, 'I have no objection to Kaiba being a part of our team. My problem is that _he_ doesn't want to be. He's been trying to take over this whole god damn situation from the moment he decided to put Tristan's face on.'

'He didn't decide to put Tristan's face on. We just think he looks like Tristan,' Mokuba shifted his gaze away.

'That's _if_ we believe him.'

'My brother wouldn't lie.'

'According to him, he isn't your brother, remember? According to him you're really Duke and I'm really Mai, so this whole argument we're having right now makes no sense.'

'I know exactly how you feel Joey, but you really need to calm down a little here,' Mai gave an exasperated sounding sigh. 'You've been really hard on Kaiba ever since he completed his individual challenge and realised who he was.'

'Considering you're the one who's punched him more than once, I really wouldn't start cheering team Kaiba right now,' Joey shot her a look.

'I'm not cheering team Kaiba; like I said, I understand how you feel about him right now, but Kaiba is a part of our team so we really do need to find him before we move on.'

'Nobody said the team _needed_ to stick together,' he rolled his eyes.

'No, but I'd like to think it was more than just implied,' she folded her arms.

'I...'

Before Joey could finish what he was saying, Catilin suddenly gave a loud, schoolgirl-like laugh. Instantly everyone turned their attention towards her.

'What's so funny?' Joey frowned.

'Tristan Kaiba,' she giggled, 'we've spent the day with Tristan Kaiba.'

'Huh?'

'The Kaiba who looks like Kaiba is really Tristan and the Kaiba who is Kaiba looks like Tristan. Both ways its Tristan Kaiba,' her face filled with a stupid grin.

'I hadn't thought about it like that before,' Duke tilted his head in thought, 'you're right, it is kind of funny.'

'No its not,' Mokuba glared at him, 'it's not because he practically is anyway.'

'Practically is, but not literally is,' now it was Jay's turn to join in. 'You might think of him as being a part of your family, but really he's just a live in friend, right? I mean, the only way I can see him changing his name and getting away with it would be if he and your brother get married or something.'

'That's not a million miles away from the realm of possibility though, is it?' Mokuba shifted his gaze away.

'Okay, I think the only person in the world who doesn't know Tristan is in love with your brother, is Kaiba himself,' Jay's tongue skated across his lips, 'and as for your brother... unless he stops kidding himself about the whole situation...'

'Are you both forgetting the conversation we've already had about this,' Joey and Mai's voices sounded almost simultaneously.

For a few seconds the two of them just stared at each other. Then Mai gave a modest cough and lowered her head, whilst Joey took a deep breath in and turned his attention back towards the others.

'Look, like I've already said, this situation is more complicated than any of you are giving it credit for. So I would seriously appreciate it if we just drop it, okay?'

'Sure, whatever,' Mokuba's voice contained odd tones as his gaze once again shifted away.

For a few long moments the whole group fell into a strange kind of silence as they made their way through the maze of lifeless mirrors. Then, almost out of nowhere, they found themselves in front of a wooden panelled wall, with two wide floor to ceiling mirrors on it. Unlike every other mirror in the creepy maze they'd been walking through, these ones showed their reflections.

'We actually exist,' Jay's tongue skated across his lips, 'look, there I am,' he pointed happily towards one of the mirrors, 'and I must say I'm looking exceptionally handsome today.'

'You're so vain,' Ahna rolled her eyes, 'and I wouldn't be so sure you're the one looking particularly handsome today, have you seen your other reflection?'

Almost without wanting them two, Joey found his eyes moving between the two mirrors. Everything in him became stiff and uncomfortable and it wasn't too hard to figure out why. Because one mirror reflected his own handsome, if unnaturally pregnant image and the other showed something completely different. In the other mirror his blond mop had transformed into sleek waves, his chocolate brown eyes had turned violet and his pregnant form no longer seemed so unnatural. Because in the other mirror he wasn't staring at his own reflection; he was staring at Mai's.

'And I thought no reflection was creepy,' Catilin's voice was little more than a low tremor.

'You're telling me,' Jay gave a nervous half laugh. 'I mean, it's one thing being told you're actually someone, but it's another thing entirely seeing yourself as them.' His tongue skated across his lips. 'So what do we do now?'

'We work out how we're supposed to complete this challenge,' Joey's voice was as firm as he could make it.

'But... how?'

'I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it has something to do with our reflections.'

'And did you work that out all by yourself or were the mirrors a big clue there?'

'Watch it Jay, regardless as to whether I'm Mai or Joey right now, I'm still your boss, show me a little respect would you?'

'Sorry,' he rolled his eyes as his tongue skated across his lips again. 'So do you think we should be looking for some kind of clue or something?'

'I don't think that'll be necessary,' Yugi placed a hand against the glass of one of the mirrors causing it to ripple. 'I think we simply have to choose a mirror to walk through.'

'And how exactly did you work that out?'

'No one said the gates actually had to look like gates, did they?'

'True...' Jay pulled a face, 'but it still doesn't tell us which one we're supposed to walk through; presuming only one of them is the right choice of course.'

'Don't be so silly Jay,' Catilin grinned at him, 'we go through the one showing the right reflection.'

'The right reflection?' Jay cocked an eyebrow. 'And pray tell me which one _is_ the right reflection here?'

'I think that's the whole point,' Yugi gave a slight cough. 'I mean, we've all been aware for a while now that we're not really who we think we are. Or rather, that there's a possibility that we're not really who we think we are. So what if this whole challenge is about getting is to acknowledge our real selves. See one mirror shows us to be who we think we are and the other shows us to be who we really are. And we have to decide which reflection is showing the real us.'

'My bets on that one,' he pointed towards his own reflection, 'I may only be thinking I'm Jay; but if I think I'm Jay, doesn't that really make me Jay?'

'As much as I'd love to agree with you there, I don't think it's that simple,' Joey shook his head. 'As much as I hate admitting this, we've all been showing traits of who we really are. So I don't think just thinking and believing you are someone makes you that person. On top of that the mirror showing me to be Mai shows me as a pregnant Mai, which is how things are supposed to be. As much as I don't want to admit rich boy is right about us being the body swappers...' he made an almost exasperated noise as he trailed off.

'But I don't want to be SK, I want to be Jay,' he folded his arms as his tongue skate across his lips once more. 'And not just because that's who I think I am. It's because he's just so... neurotic. He's always several steps behind and he has no confidence in himself. Why would I want to believe I'm really him, when being me is so much better?'

'I think that's supposed to be part of the challenge here,' Mai placed a hand on his shoulder. 'For some of us who we think we are is preferable to who we actually are right now. But for me personally, I'd sooner think that Joey was really me or I was really him or however this is supposed to work; because at least then my baby would be where she's supposed to be.'

'Why does your argument have to make so much sense,' Jay rolled his eyes.

'Because it's the most logical,' she shot him a slim smile, 'and I think we all know its right.'


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

It wasn't until they'd stepped through the mirror that Mokuba remembered Kaiba wasn't with them. Automatically he turned round to try and go back through, only to find himself confronted with a solid brick wall. For a few long moments he found himself staring at the wall not totally sure what to think about the situation. For a while now he'd been more than aware of the fact he'd been leaping to his brother's defence more because he wanted to argue with Joey rather than because he wanted to defend his brother.

The feelings of competitive resentment he was harbouring were subtle and a part of him couldn't help but wonder if this was how Duke really felt. And if it was, was Duke even aware of the fact he felt this way? It was something Mokuba was only conscious of because the feelings were foreign to him, but they themselves were so subtle they would have been easily overlooked. Almost without meaning to he found his gaze shifting towards Duke. Like him he was also stood studying the solid brick wall.

'We forgot about Seto,' Mokuba forced the words out of his mouth, but they felt dry and awkward.

'Maybe we failed the challenge,' Duke turned away from the wall and sighed, 'maybe we were supposed to go thought the other mirror.'

'I don't feel like we failed,' Catilin shook her head. 'This doesn't feel like we failed. I don't think we failed.

'I agree,' Yugi folded his arms, 'I felt something when I was passing through the mirror, it's... hard to explain exactly, but it felt... right somehow.'

'So we didn't fail the challenge, we just left my brother behind?' Mokuba lowered his gaze.

'It wasn't on purpose Mokuba,' Catilin's voice was almost light and bouncy, 'and anyway maybe he wasn't allowed to take part in that challenge.'

'What do you mean?'

'Maybe he ran off on his own because Crovell did something to make him run off on his own so he wouldn't take part in that challenge. He could already see us like we are supposed to be, remember? Maybe Crovell thought he didn't need to do that challenge.'

'Then why hasn't he been given back to us?'

'He's being treated differently to the rest of us,' Duke's voice held a subtle amount of confidence, 'maybe he's got his own challenges he has to compete in now.'

'Trust rich boy to get special treatment when it's my kids' futures at stake,' Joey rolled his eyes. 'Being a kid's actual father really doesn't count for anything around here.'

'Oh I wouldn't know about that,' a familiar voice sounded out of nowhere, 'if it didn't count for anything you wouldn't have made it this far to begin with.'

'Téa?' Yugi's voice was little more than an uncertain whisper.

Almost as he spoke Téa appeared in front of them. She casually held the Elemental Axe in her right hand as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world for her to be holding. The look on her face was somewhere halfway between boredom and dark anticipation. As her eyes carefully studied each and every one of them, Mokuba felt as though the large white hall they were in wasn't quite big enough.

'We've only been through seven gates,' Catilin took a step towards her, 'I thought there were supposed to be eight.'

'There are eight,' Téa's voice was almost toneless.

'Then...'

'You don't get it, do you?'

'G-get what,' she shook her head in confusion, 'what is it I'm not getting?'

'I'm saying I am your eighth challenge you simpleton.'

'Hey, that's uncalled for,' Mai took a defensive step forward.

'No, you're wrong, it was most definitely called for,' Téa's voice somehow managed to be both vibrant and emotionless at the same time. 'You are all simpletons in comparison to the Master, which is why I'm so surprised you've managed to pass every single challenge so far.'

'Wait, what?' Joey frowned. 'But... what about the maze? We failed the maze, didn't we?'

'And this is exactly why I called you all simpletons,' she smirked. 'The maze wasn't the point, being able to accept defeat and move on, was. And surprisingly you could.'

'I see, so if you're our last challenge, does that mean we're yours?'

'I guess you could say that,' she cocked her head to one side, 'and trust me, this is the stage I've _really_ been looking forward to. See this round is a winner takes all. If you win all the soul cards and players go back to you. But if I win,' her face filled with a slim but cruel smile, 'you all belong to me.'

'No,' Yugi shook his head, 'you... you can't be serious.'

'Oh I'm deadly serious.'

'But... why?'

'Because I'm in the nightmare making business now and I think it's time you all experienced what true loneliness feels like.'

'No... please,' Yugi's eyes were wide and his face was pale, 'you... you can't...'

'Oh now see that's where you're wrong; I can do anything I want and right now the one thing I want more than anything is to hurt you,' Téa aimed the Axe towards him.

'This is ridicules Téa,' Mai took half a step towards her, 'I can't believe you, of all people, are acting this way.'

'Why not? Because I'm sweet, innocent little Téa, who just wants her friends to be happy and safe and together,' her lips curled with disgust. 'Except you were all leaving me, weren't you? One by one you were all leaving me. Well I won't have that; I will make you stay with me. I will make you all stay with me.'

'Téa...' Yugi's voice was toned with sadness, 'I... I had no idea you felt this way.'

'You, you of all people had no idea how I was feeling? You, host to the Face of Friendship, host to an empath, had no idea how I was feeling?' She gave an almost hysterical little laugh. 'Of course you didn't. Why would you? You were all changing and moving away from me; leaving me behind and excluding me from your world. Hell,' she met and held his gaze, 'you even went so far as to put me in a comma; that's how badly you all wanted to get away from me. Well, guess what, I won't let you leave me and if I have to trap each and every one of you in your soul cards in order to do it then I will.'

'This is madness,' Joey stared at her.

'Oh please, you have no idea what madness is,' she rolled her eyes.

'Téa... no one here wants to fight with you... there has to be some other way we can resolve this.'

'There is no other way. The Master said I could choose what the final challenge is and this is what I've chosen,' her voice was as firm as the expression on her face. 'What are you so afraid of anyway? With all the power you're packing between you, I should be easy pickings, right? Oh woops,' she mocked shock, 'I forgot, you're all powerless. Well that should make things more interesting.'

Almost without warning the Axe she was holding started to glow. It then shot out a beam of light directly towards Yugi. Without hesitation Mokuba grabbed hold of him and pulled him out of the way.

'What the hell,' Joey took up a defensive stance, 'this isn't fair.'

'Oh please, don't talk to me about what's fair,' she wagged a finger at him, 'you're not the one in a comma because one of your friends just had to turn evil. Oh well, who needs to be awake when being asleep means I can control this,' she aimed the Axe towards Joey and fired another beam.

With lightning reflexes, Mai managed to get him out of the line of fire just in the nick of time.

'Okay that's low,' Mai glared at her as she positioned herself in front of Joey, 'you can't attack him; he's off limits.'

'Why?'

'Because he's pregnant.'

'Funny, I didn't think things like that made a difference. I mean, Ahna was about seven months pregnant when she was forced to give birth to Crovell, wasn't she? Maybe Jo should get the same treatment.'

'Over my dead body,' Mai charged at her.

'If that's what you want,' Téa shot a third beam, this time directly at Mai.

'No,' Joey's voice was little more than a shrill scream.

But it was too late; the blast hit Mai dead on, sending her flying back across the room.

'Mai,' he made his way towards her unconscious body and pulled her into his arms.

'You don't play fair and that's not very nice,' Catilin stared at her as her hand attempted to flick summon an energy ball.

'What do you think you're doing,' Téa's voice was filled with deep amusement, 'you have no powers, remember?'

'My powers aren't down, they're just not my powers,' Catilin met and held her gaze. 'I am not me, remember? I'm really Yugi, but Yugi doesn't use his powers like I use my powers because that's just how things work. It's why it was so easy to make us believe our powers were down, right?'

'Talking nonsense as usual I see.'

'It's not nonsense,' she flicked her gaze towards Yugi, 'you have to use my powers.'

'Huh?' Yugi blinked back at her.

'You are me and I am you; if we think about it we can use each other's powers, we just have to tap into the parts of ourselves which are really us and not each other.'

'Err...' he continued to look confused, 'but...'

'We have to tap into each other's powers and maybe I won't be able to because maybe technically the real Jay and Ahna are still around, that's why I need you to try. You have to try and tap into my powers. You have to see if you can think like me.'

'Uh... okay... but... I... I don't want to hurt Téa.'

'It's not Téa, it's her onchasen, so it'll be alright,' almost without warning a white energy ball suddenly appeared in her hand. 'See,' she laughed, 'I did it.'


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

Why had he agreed to this? Why did he agree to put himself through this? This whole situation was a nightmare. It was never going to be anything other than a nightmare. The way the crowd of people swarmed around him, pushing against him, holding him back, he felt trapped, suffocated and so far out of his depth he couldn't breathe. This was a mistake, he was never going to be able to conquer this nightmare, not now he knew it was real and the price he would have to pay if he failed.

A part of him was almost willing him to fail. It would serve him right after all; the most suitable punishment he could think of for failing Tristan. The Sharpshooter was wrong, this whole place was just a representation of his own guilt; how could it be anything else?

'Seto.'

Just the sound of Tristan's voice rising above the din of the crowd made his heart race; he wasn't just doing this for himself, he was doing this for Tristan too. Whatever it was he thought he deserved, he knew full well Tristan would not be able to live with himself if he indivertibly killed him. The thought alone filled him with a strange new kind of determination and he found himself coming to a complete stop within the swarming sea of people. Struggling through them was getting him nowhere because the more he fought against them the harder they became to ignore.

He found himself frowning at his own train of thoughts. It wasn't exactly easy to ignore a swarming crowd of people, especially when you were in the middle of them. Ignore shouldn't have been the word he used in relation to this situation and yet it was. A small eye shaped island of free space began to circle around him. It allowed him to study the crowd in more detail. He'd never noticed before but every single one of their faces was filled with a different emotion. Sure there was more than a few repeats amongst the crowd, with so many of them there had to be, but within the crowd as a whole the whole range of human emotions was properly represented. Because they weren't a crowd of swarming people, they were a confusing mesh of feelings. His feelings.

Suddenly it made so much sense. The whole reason he couldn't fight his way through them was because they were a metaphor for himself and his emotions and not just a barrier of guilt separating him from Tristan. The dream represented his own inner battle with himself. It started on the opposite note to the one it ended on because he allowed all of his fears, guilt, worry and anxieties to ruin everything. Because he didn't believe he deserved happiness, it was taken away from him. Because he didn't want to face up to himself, he was crushed, lost and eventually killed by the weight of his own self-denial. He even used his own sense of guilt to keep his _real_ self at bay, using it as a reason for this nightmare, rather than just a single piece within the complex pool of his subconscious.

Closing his eyes, he waited for the scene around him to change into that of the dimly lit ballroom. If he was right, if he had it all figured out, then he knew exactly what to do in order to change the events of the dream's final moments. But if he was wrong it was about to cost him his life. The din of the crowd died away into soft murmurings. Opening his eyes again, he quickly examined his familiar new surroundings. Instinctively his eyes glanced down towards the card he was holding. For a few seconds he found himself almost mesmerised by it, then he slipped it safely into his pocket and turned his attention towards the figure he knew was standing at the top of the staircase.

'Are you okay?' He made it to the staircase just as Tristan was finishing his slow decent.

'I... I'm not sure,' Tristan's voice was small and childlike. 'Do you know what this is?' He held up the blank, damaged soul card he was holding.

'Does it bother you that it's like that?' He placed a hand over Tristan's causing the other boy to lift his gaze towards him.

'I... I'm not sure,' Tristan shook his head, 'should it?'

'It bothers me, because it's my fault it's like this.'

'You're fault how?'

'I didn't stop it from happening. I wanted to, but I didn't, so it's my fault.'

'You didn't mean for it to happen,' Tristan studied him carefully. 'You said you didn't want it to happen, so you didn't mean for it to happen. Does that mean it was an accident?'

'No,' he shook his head, 'the person who did it meant to do it, I just couldn't stop them... I wanted to, but... I couldn't.'

'It makes you sad,' Tristan studied his features as he gently stroked some of the hair out of his eyes, 'I don't want you to be sad. It wasn't your fault.'

'But... it is...'

'No, it isn't. It isn't your fault because you wanted to stop it. You didn't want it to happen, but there was nothing you could do. That doesn't make it your fault.'

'So then why does it feel like it is?' He lowered his gaze. 'I want... I want to find some way to fix this. I don't want you to be this way forever and I promise you... I promise you I will find some way of fixing it. And if I can't fix it then I'll find some way of controlling it. I'll do whatever it takes to help you... to make this right because... because I don't want this to come between us. I don't want anything to come between us.'

'Come between us?' Tristan frowned.

'Tristan I…'

'I think I want a new card,' he interrupted. 'Could you buy me one?'

'It doesn't work like that.'

'Why not?'

'Because it doesn't, but I will do whatever it takes to get you the next best thing, I promise.'

'The next best thing...'

'Yes, I told you, I'll do whatever it takes to make this right. Tristan I...'

'Why did the person tare it anyway? Why would they do that?'

'They weren't a very nice person. They hated me and decided to take that hatred out on you.'

'I see,' Tristan pressed his lips together, 'I think this does bother me. I think it bothers me because I don't know who I am. I don't think I'm me anymore.'

'You are; believe me you are. It's in all the little things you do, even when you're like this.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'Because I would know you anywhere, in any form, with any level of memory, because I...'

'But...'

'Shut up,' without hesitation, he leant in and kissed him.

As he did everything around them dissolved into a blinding white light. The light itself was so bright he had to close his eyes against it, only opening them again when the backs of his eyelids turned to black. He now found himself lying in a bed in a familiar room, with white curtains billowing in the bay of the French windows. Curled up on the bed next to him, with his head resting against his chest, was Tristan. After a few minutes of watching him sleep, he gently moved his head onto the pillow and slowly got up.

His eyes were drawn towards his reflection in the full length mirror on the wardrobe. For a few moments he couldn't work out what was so strange about his reflection, then little signs of age became more and more obvious. It was impossible to tell exactly how much older he was, but he definitely looked good for it. Glancing back down at Tristan he noticed the same was true of him. This had to be the glimpse of the future the Sharpshooter had promised him, but what exactly did he have to gain from such a tranquil scene?

He found himself drawn towards the mirror as he tried to better examine his matured reflection. For half a second he placed a hand against the glass and was surprised by just how solid and real it felt. A curious frown pulled across his face as he noticed the edge of a scar just visible above the line of his pyjama bottoms. There was also a noticeable weakness to his body and the longer he remained standing, the harder it was to do so. Before he had a chance to know what to make of either discovery, Tristan wrapped his arms around his chest. On his right wrist was a black leather cuff bracelet which looked remarkably like the prototype he was working on. On his left ring finger was a gold ring with a purple inset.

The sight of the ring made Kaiba's whole body flame with heat. For the first few seconds the heat was tinged with embarrassment and fear, then a strange feeling of excitement replaced it. If this truly was a vision of their future then it was nice to know things were going to work out for them. But at the same time... Kaiba felt his fingers lightly touch the scar on his lower stomach as he got the sense things weren't going to be so straight forward for them.

A sudden knock at the bedroom door startled him; he turned towards it and watched silently as it slowly swung open to reveal a blinding white light.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

Taking a quick glance down at her right wrist, Catilin couldn't help but smile at the disappearance of the circular tattoo. She had powers again, okay so they were Yugi's powers, but that didn't really matter right now. What mattered was that she was right and now she just had to hope it was enough.

'Cleaver trick,' Téa's lips curled into a cruel smile, 'but just because you have power doesn't mean you can use it. Those powers don't belong to you, remember?'

Aiming the axe towards Catilin, she fired another beam. In response to this, Catilin flicked the energy ball she was holding in the direction of the oncoming blast. But rather than use it to neutralise the other attack, she willed the ball to expand into a wall of light, creating a protective shield for the group.

'Yay,' Catilin clapped her hands together, 'I wasn't sure if I could do it but I did.'

'One blocked attack and you think you have reason to celebrate?' Téa rolled her eyes. 'You really are the most annoying creature I've ever met.'

'You're the one who said I couldn't control it, but I did. _And_ you're wrong, these powers are mine. I am Yugi, remember? Maybe I don't think I am him right now, but these are his powers and I really am him so that means they're my powers and I can control them.'

'Must you talk in such an insanely confusing way, you pathetic creature.'

'The only pathetic creature here right now is you,' Joey pulled himself to his feet and flick summoned an energy ball into his own hands.

Without hesitation he lobbed the energy ball at Téa. With lightning reflexes Téa lifted the axe and deflected the attack back towards the group. With her instincts working overtime, Catilin managed to erect another shield to protect them.

'Careful Catilin,' Yugi shot her a look, 'there's a reason the Face of Friendship doesn't use shields like that very often. Although it neutralises attacks, she still takes damage every time one's hit.'

'Uh... okay,' she nodded, 'but you should really use my powers now.'

'Right,' he took a deep breath in and flicked an energy ball into his hand. 'I don't want to hurt Téa, but I don't want her to hurt us either. If I have to attack her then I will, but it doesn't mean I'm happy about it.'

'You think any of us are happy about this,' Joey gritted his teeth and flicked another energy ball into his own hand. 'Just stayed focused on the fact that's Téa's onchasen and not the real Téa; now I'm not saying we don't still have to be careful with our attacks, but at least the repercussion for them will be easier to control.'

'Oh would you listen to you, all worried about consequences. Do you really think you have as much control over this situation as that?'

'We have more control over this situation than you do right now,' he glared at her. 'See you may think your current state allows you to be free of consequences, but that's not true. No one is free of consequences when it comes to that weapon. No one but my son that is. Can't you see how the Axe has been slowly corrupting you, warping you into the kind of person who'd use a weapon of that magnitude against her friends? But its not too late Téa, you can still pull back from this.'

'What if I don't want to turn back from this?' Téa aimed the axe at Joey. 'What if I like the power and control this allows me?'

'It's not worth it Téa,' Yugi took half a step towards her, 'nothing's worth this.'

'Oh tell that to the girl unconscious on a hospital bed.'

'No, I'm telling it to you,' the energy ball in his hand dissipated as he slowly took several more steps in her direction. 'Nothing's worth the trouble that Axe creates. Trust me.'

'Why should I?'

'Because it's the truth,' Catilin's voice was strangely light, 'he's telling the truth. He only wants what's best for you. He wants to see you happy and awake and with everyone again. He only wants you.'

'Please,' Yugi hesitantly reached a hand towards her, 'you know it's the right thing to do. It's the only way to save yourself from the hatred and hurt that weapon creates,' his face filled with a sorrowful look. 'Please, put the Axe down and wake up.'

'Oh come on, you can't expect me to listen to this goody goody drivel,' Téa gave a laugh somewhere between fear and arrogance. 'How can you expect me to go back to how things were when all you ever go on about is how everyone has changed? Well maybe I've changed.'

'We'll accept you no matter what, just like we know deep down you've accepted all of us for the people we've changed into,' Yugi's voice was light and soothing. 'I know you're afraid of being left behind Téa, but none of us were trying to leave you behind, I promise. And if you just put the Axe down then we can all start getting to know each other again, changes and all. All of us. Everyone. The whole group. Because that's what friends do Téa. They stick together no matter what.'

'You're lying,' she shook her head, 'you're trying to trick me into dropping my guard. Well it won't work. I will beat you. All of you. And then none of you will ever leave me.'

'None of us want to leave you Téa,' Joey met her gaze, 'we never have.'

'Then why were you all leaving me behind?'

'We didn't mean to.'

'We weren't trying to,' Yugi took over, 'none of us were trying to leave you behind. None of us wanted to leave you behind. It wasn't our intention. But we were all so swept up in what was happening to us personally we didn't notice how it was affecting you. We should have seen how it was affecting you; we should have known you were acting the way you were because you were afraid, but we didn't. I'm sorry.'

'No,' Téa aimed the Axe at him, 'no, you're lying. None of you care about me. All of you want to leave me.'

'Téa please,' Yugi reached her side and placed his hands on the blade of the Axe, 'don't do this, this isn't you.'

'Stop it,' she attempted to pull the Axe away from him, but his grip held firm, 'you're supposed to be fighting me. You're supposed to be attacking me. You're supposed to be begging for your freedom. Let go.'

'No,' his face filled with a strange smile, 'if I do that, I'll be allowing you to give into this rage which is controlling you right now and I can't stand by and watch you go through what I went through Téa; it would be too painful for me.'

'You a good person Téa,' Catilin bounced on her heels a little, 'hiet braysta used to talk all the time about how you where the group's heart. He was so happy when he could start seeing you all again because he missed hanging out with everyone. It made him sad that everyone was changing so much, but it made him happy because you were all still friends at heart.'

'Tristan doesn't think so,' Téa gritted her teeth, 'he hates me and he's been slowly making all of you hate me too. He's the one who started it. He's the one who made change into such a bad thing.'

'Tristan was sad for other reasons,' Catilin's voice took on more sombre tones, 'his head was all mixed up and he didn't know how to behave. I know what that's like, because I've been through that too. It's hard. It's really hard having other people tell you what to think when things are so confusing. It made him angry a lot and it made me angry sometimes too. But Tristan doesn't hate you Téa, he just wanted you to see him for the him he was becoming when the confusion cleared, instead of the him he was before the confusion started. He wanted you to like the new him as much as you liked the old him.'

'How the hell can you know something like that?' She glared.

'She knows because we all know,' Duke gave a nervous cough. 'It's kind of obvious when you really think about it. I mean, if Tristan found us all so intolerable, why'd he keep bothering to hang around with us at all? You can see it in him, you know; he doesn't want to be angry and frustrated all the time and he's not angry and frustrated all the time. He just wants to be accepted and...'

'And that's what me and my brother give him,' Mokuba took over. 'Sure he still loses his temper and acts like a total stubborn jerk sometimes, but nowhere near as much as he used to because... because we accept him for who he is. Seriously, he's only a jerk around us now with good reason.'

'Now that you mention it, I think I can pretty much say the same,' Joey tilted his head to one side. 'I may not like everything he does, but I accept him so he's only off with me because I've done something to deserve it.'

'It's the way he is now with all of us,' Duke shrugged.

'Except for me,' Téa jutted her chin out defiantly, 'he's not reasonable when it comes to me.'

'Because you wouldn't accept him,' Mokuba's voice was low, 'you wouldn't accept the fact he had changed; you didn't want to.'

'I didn't want everybody to leave me on my own. Everybody was changing so quickly and I was getting left behind. You were all leaving me behind.'

'We didn't mean too,' Yugi shook his head, 'I told you...'

'I don't want to listen to this anymore,' Téa glared at him. 'I don't want to hear anymore of your lies and excuses. I will beat you, all of you and then none of you will ever be able to leave me again.'

'None of us want to leave you now, don't you understand that,' Yugi gave a heavy sigh, before fishing his soul card out of his pocket. 'Here, take this.'

'What?' She blinked at him.

'Take it and do what you like with it; I don't care. I'd do whatever it takes to make you see the truth here, even if it means giving you my soul. Because if you have my soul I can never leave you, right?'

'I...'

'Take it,' he cut her off, 'it's yours.'


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

'Congratulation,' the redhead appeared out of nowhere, 'you passed.'

'What the...?' Joey half gawked at her. 'Where'd you come from?'

'I didn't come from anywhere; I've been here the whole time. Watching and waiting for you to finish, so I could complete my Master's orders.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'The Master thanks you for all you have done,' the redhead focused her gaze on Téa, 'but your services are no longer required, the rest is up to me.'

'But...?'

Before Téa could finish what she was saying, the redhead gave a casual flick of her hand causing Téa to vanish and the Elemental Axe to clatter to the ground.

'What... what did you do with her?' Yugi's eyes were wide with horror.

'I have returned her to where she belongs,' a sad smile pulled at the redhead's lips, 'the Master no longer has any use for her. Congratulations.'

'For what?' Joey frowned.

'For proving the strength of your village,' her voice was stilted and quite. 'It is the bonds which exist between you all which gives you your true power. It is that true power which will allow you to overcome almost anything and with what the Master knows is coming...'

'What the Master knows is coming...' he echoed her words, 'you mean Crovell has prophetic abilities?'

'That is one way of looking at it, yes. Although his powers consist more of seeing a multitude of possible paths and his ability to predict the correct path is... impressive, but not absolute.'

'Predictive preconception,' Yugi pressed his lips together, 'a common ability amongst powerful God Class beings.'

'It is also useless if you have no ability to influence the outcome,' Joey folded his arms, 'and something tells me my son has at least some influence there.'

'Not as much as he would like,' the redhead tilted her head to one side, 'and it is certainly not an ability which will develop for him; he took the hell future as evidence of that. But however minute his influence might be, it is still useful to him.'

'It's useful to anyone who has it,' Joey rolled his eyes. 'So do I get my son back now?'

'I'm afraid not,' she half turned away from him, 'the game is not over yet.' She waved her hand again, this time causing the Axe to disappear. 'When you're ready, simply pass through that gate,' she pointed towards the open gateway which appeared behind her, 'once you have the last stage of the game will begin. Good luck,' with that she vanished.

Almost as soon as she'd disappeared, SK and Covo appeared out of nowhere. For a few long moments there was a heavy feeling of confusion. The redhead hadn't said anything about returning players for a start and for a second shouldn't there have been four of them and not two? With a slightly edgy feeling moving through his stomach Yugi found himself glancing towards Mokuba, but the younger boy's expression was unreadable.

'I'm not the only one who thinks there are people missing here, right?' Duke gave a nervous laugh.

'Rich boy probably got thrown out of the game for cheating,' Joey shrugged, 'big deal.'

'Shut up Joey,' Mokuba glared at him.

'Shut up Joey?' He cocked an eyebrow at the younger Kaiba brother. 'I'm insulting that jerk you call kin and the best response you can give me is _shut up Joey_? What happened to all those choice words you were throwing at me earlier?'

'I just don't feel like them right now,' he shifted his gaze away.

'And here I thought Duke didn't have any issues with me.'

'Okay, what?' A shock sounded laugh beat its way out of SK. 'What does Duke have to do with anything? No wait, scratch that, what I really want is for someone to tell me what the hell is going on. Only the last thing I remember I was accepting some challenge to win his,' he pointed to Jay, 'soul card.'

'Actually,' Jay licked his lips, 'you were trying to win your own. See I am you and Covo's really Ahna.'

'You're kidding me, right?' Now it was SK's turn to cock an eyebrow.

'Why would anyone in their right minds joke about something like that? Do you seriously think I want to think I'm really you if I don't have to?'

'I...' he shook his head before flicking his gaze around at the other. 'Does this have anything to do with why the hell you're pregnant?' He fixed his gaze on Joey.

'Yeah... apparently I'm really Mai, so this,' he indicated towards the bump, 'is actually a lot more natural than it looks.'

'So that means Mai didn't lose Jo then,' SK sighed in relief.

'No she... uh... she's still unconscious,' the colour drained from his face as he rapidly made his way towards her.

'Is she okay?' Covo's voice was filled with concern.

'She... uh... she was hit by a blast from the Axe,' he shook his head, 'so in other words, no.'

'But you can heal her, right?'

'If I couldn't heal Téa with the full burst of the First's powers, how do you expect me to heal Mai with the limitations of Win Mai's powers?'

'What?' Covo frowned.

'Do we really have to go back to explaining all this again?' Joey gritted his teeth. 'We've already told you, no one here is who they appear to be. You're Ahna, I'm Mai. Go figure.'

'But how?'

'Ask my son, when we find him of course.'

'Wait, this is all Crovell's doing?'

'Look, we really don't have time for this. We have to find a way of waking Mai up.'

Almost as if she knew they were talking about her, Mai groaned loudly and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

'So... did we pass?'

* * *

As Mai began to recover from her experience with the Axe, Mokuba found himself studying Duke closely. Those mild and confusing feelings of resentment were definitely his, Mokuba was certain of that now. His last argument with Joey had pretty much proved it. No, it was more than that. It was the fact Duke was the first to mention Tristan and Kaiba's absence. Mokuba had been aware of it, thinking about it even, but Duke had been the one to say it.

'Is something wrong?' Duke shifted his gaze towards him. 'You've been staring at me like that for a while now and it's just a little bit creepy.'

'I... uh...' Mokuba squirmed, 'I was just wondering if you have some kind of a problem with Joey.'

'Huh?'

'Do you have a problem with Joey?' Mokuba gave a nervous cough. 'I mean, is there some reason why you... I don't know if you'd call it resentment exactly, but...'

'I'd rather we didn't have this conversation,' Duke cut him off. 'Right now we think we're each other and we don't know exactly how much of the others memories we're going to retain when everything goes back to normal, so I'd rather not have that conversation unless I have to.'

'Does that mean you do harbour some resentment towards Joey then?'

'I didn't say that.'

'No, but you did a good job of implying it. Does it have something to do with Crovell? Do you hate not being Crovell's real dad? Or is this to do with them not wanting you around as much as Crovell does? This does have something to do with Crovell, doesn't it? I can feel it you know, as I'm saying it, I can feel it.'

'And I told you I didn't want to talk about it now,' Duke turned away from him. 'Come on, it looks like the others are making their way through now, we don't want to get left behind.'

'Okay, I get the message,' Mokuba rolled his eyes, 'but I'm telling you now, if I get to remember any of this when I'm me again we will be having this conversation.'

'Sure, whatever.'

The group made their way through the gate to find themselves stood in a large, temple like chamber. On one wall there was a large depiction of the Yatnuh and just in front of it was a crib containing the baby Crovell.

'Da da da da da,' he chirped happily, 'breeee.'

'Crovell!' Ahna darted towards the crib.

Before she could reach him, however, she was repelled by a wall of energy and sent flying backwards.

'Ahna,' Covo rushed to catch her, 'are you okay?'

'That hurt,' she winced, pulling herself back to her feet. 'What was that?'

'Proof that this game isn't over yet,' Joey sighed.

'But what are we supposed to do now?'

'Find someway of freeing our child,' he gritted his teeth, 'obviously.'

Almost as soon as Joey had spoken a loud and familiar laugh cut across the room.

'Is that what you think Wheeler?' A voice sounded almost out of nowhere. 'You do remember this is your son's game, don't you? Meaning that he's responsible for everything. And that includes this little shield.'

'Kaiba,' Joey gritted his teeth, 'if you have something to do with this…'

'Oh please,' in the blink of an eye Kaiba and Tristan appeared next to Crovell's crib, 'don't you listen to anything I say?'

'Okay rich boy,' Joey glared at him, 'just what the hell is going on?'

'You haven't completed the third stage of the game yet,' Tristan leant over the crib and carefully lifted Crovell out, 'me and Seto have.'

'And by the rules of the game,' Kaiba smirked, 'that makes your kids ours.'

'What?' Joey's hands balled into fists.

'You heard me Wheeler.'

'But you can't do that,' Mai took several steps towards them, only to find herself stopped by the force field.

'I'm afraid we can,' Tristan half smirked at her. 'It takes a village to raise a child and a child as powerful as Crovell needs a strong village. That doesn't just mean individual strengths or group strengths, that means every kind of strength going. As far as proving yourselves go, if you can't break his spells when he's an infant, then how the hell are you going to be able to cope when he gets older?'

'But that's not fair,' Ahna stared at them in horror, 'we didn't know that's what we were supposed to do.'

'Yes we did,' Catilin bit her lip. 'I am. Reflection. I reflect. You are. Reflection. You reflect. The dreamer sleeps. The sleeper dreams. What once was, sees what now is. To walk a mile is to know the truth. When boundaries blur, the line becomes clear. No one said the game was being played in order.'

'Actually,' Kaiba folded his arms, 'it was. You just had the option of winning it early.'

'But since you didn't that means the third stage of the game is about to begin,' Tristan lowered his head slightly. 'You have thirty minutes in order to break the spell, if you fail, then your kids become ours.'


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

As soon as they'd finished issuing their _ultimatum_, Tristan and Kaiba had disappeared. A wave of annoyance rocked its way through Joey. It wasn't that he hadn't expected them to do something like this. He had. Hell he was surprised they'd bothered telling them what the third part of this crazy game was before disappearing, but that didn't make it any less irritating.

'So we're all mirrors,' Jay's lame joke broke the almost tense silence which had descended around them, 'anyone know how to change that?'

'When boundaries blur, the line becomes clear,' Catilin recited the final line of their final clue.

'Aren't we supposed to walk a mile in order to be able to do that?' Jay cocked an eyebrow at her.

'But we have,' Covo tilted his head to one side, 'since the moment we arrived here we've been thinking we were someone else. So doesn't that mean we've walked a mile already, even if we didn't make it past the first stage?'

'Okay, but how does that help us?'

'Maybe it's to do with what we've learnt from _being_ each other,' Ahna pressed her lips together. 'I mean, we've all noticed little moments where our _true selves_ have poked their heads through. So what if being each other was to teach us something about being ourselves... err... if that makes sense.'

'Not completely,' Joey folded his arms, 'but I think I know what you're getting at.'

'If only we knew what it was Kaiba did to switch things back again,' Mai tilted her head in though. 'It can't have been anything too extreme or out of character for him else he wouldn't have done it.'

'Wait, what did you say?' Joey shot her a look.

'I said whatever it was which made Kaiba realise he _was_ Kaiba couldn't have been anything extreme or out of character else he wouldn't have done it.'

'But... what if it was? I mean, none of us were around to see him and he was in his own challenge at the time, right? What if the key to completing his challenge was the same key which unlocked his true self? Remember he went in with a vague kind of awareness about what was really going on.'

'Where as I definitely think the point you're making there would work for some of us, I really don't think it would work for all of us,' Jay's face filled with a sceptical look.

'He's right,' Covo pulled a face, 'if it was meant to work for all of us then Mokuba and I wouldn't have been told we didn't need to overcome our personal challenges now, just be aware of them.'

'He's right,' Mokuba pressed his lips together, 'we were pretty much told we didn't have to overcome it today, just know it's something we need to deal with in the future. It would make no sense for this final thing to contradict that.'

'So maybe it's not something _both_ parties have to get over, maybe it's just something one of the two have to,' Joey shrugged.

'Maybe it's a reflective reason,' Catilin bounced on her heels for a moment. 'We've been switched with our switches for a reason.'

'Huh?'

'The people we've been switched with we've been switched with for a reason,' she repeated. 'It's not by chance. It can't be. All Wins have been switched with their Mistresses, the Helpers have been switched, Covo and Ahna...'

'Then there's me and Mokuba,' Duke pulled a face, 'have we been switched as leftovers or are you trying to say we have something else in common?'

'A fourth Win needs a fourth Mistress; you were a substitute before, why can't you be one now.'

'I'm not sure it works like that.'

'No, she's right, I think it works exactly like that,' Joey sighed.

'It takes a village to raise a child,' Covo pressed her lips together, 'but why this village.'

'Huh?'

'Why these people. I mean, I get some of it, but...'

'Because, no matter how you look at it, we pretty much have our entire village right here,' Joey sighed again.

'Okay, I can understand why you, Ahna, Mai, Covo and Duke are definitely villagers,' SK massaged his temples, 'Catilin, myself and SK I can just about justify at a push, but what about everyone else and why not Korin for that matter? Why isn't she counted as part of our village?'

'My guess is that she was originally intended as a pair for Téa,' he tilted his head to one side, 'and this whole identity swap situation doesn't work with odd numbers. Even you have to admit there's no one else except Téa and Korin who are on the peripherals of our village.'

'Stop calling it our village, it just sounds weird,' Jay shot him a look.

'But it doesn't sound weird at all,' Covo shook his head, 'it makes perfect sense to me too. I mean, Joey's right, everyone who was made to play this game, plus Téa and Korin, are a part of our village, whether we think of them that way or not.'

'It's like me thinking about the Pure and the Face of Friendship as being sisters,' Joey lowered his head slightly.

'Or the parts of Win considering themselves siblings,' Mai gave a nervous cough.

'Uh... okay, I think I understand a little more why you think it makes sense,' Jay's tongue skated across his lips, 'but to me, it's just...' he shrugged.

'Funny,' SK smirked, 'it makes perfect sense to me.'

'What does any of this matter if it's not getting us any closer to getting Crovell back,' Ahna interjected. 'Seriously, who cares how we define our village or... whatever, shouldn't we be figuring out how to end this damn game so I can get my son back.'

'You're right, we should,' Joey gave a strange half laugh, 'and I think I'm starting to understand what it is we each need to do in order to do just that.'

'Well that's good, would you like to share with the group?'

'No,' he shook his head, 'I think I'd rather put my theory to the test. So,' he took a deep breath in and focused his gaze on the woman he loved, 'Mai, will you marry me?'

* * *

She almost laughed in shock when he asked her.

'But I thought…'

'I don't care,' he cut her off, 'answer the question.'

For a few moments Mai wasn't sure what to say, then all the feelings she'd had earlier when she'd asked him welled up inside of her.

'Yes,' she threw her arms around his neck, 'yes I'll marry you.'

Almost as soon as she'd finished speaking her head started to spin and a bizarre, disorientating sensation overtook her. Blinking, she stared up at Joey, only she wasn't staring up at Joey anymore. Because she, or rather he, was Joey.

'Wow,' he swallowed hard.

'I know,' the real Mai grinned at him, 'it's kind of weird, isn't it?'

'What's kind of weird?' Mokuba frowned at him.

'Well for a start I'm Joey,' he smirked. 'I mean, I really am Joey.'

'But how?'

'You'll have to ask Mai about that one.'

'Well?' The group turned towards her.

'We've all said more than once that we've noticed elements of our real selves poking through,' Mai pressed her lips together. 'So before, when we thought we were each other and he asked me to marry him, the situation hadn't changed and my own fears took over. As Joey I might not have been able to understand why I was feeling the way I was, but if I thought about it as Mai...' she gave a nervous laugh as she trailed off. 'This third challenge is a combination of different things and I'm not totally sure I can explain it.'

'I think I understand what you're getting at,' Catilin folded her arms and tilted her head in thought. 'There's an element of blurring the lines and facing up to home truths brought about by being aware of who you really are.'

'Exactly...' Mai frowned at her, 'but I think it's more specific than that. I think Crovell wants us to face up to things which will make us stronger as a village. Me and Joey getting married will provide a greater sense of stability.'

'So then he wants me and Covo to get married?' Covo frowned at her.

'Wow this is what it must have been like for Kaiba,' Joey laughed and scratched the back of his neck.

'Yeah, I thought that when Catilin was speaking just now,' Mai shot him a weak smile. 'And no,' she turned her attention back to Covo, 'I don't think for the two of you this is about marriage. Partly because the relationship between the two of you is much newer and partly because there's been no talk of marriage between the two of you up until this point.'

'I guess that makes some sense,' Ahna pressed her lips together. 'So... all we have to do now is to figure out what it is each of us needs to face up to in order to make the village stronger?'

'I guess.'

'Then I guess that's what we'll do.'


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

With just over ten minutes of the game's final stage left, Joey found himself sat with his back leant against the empty crib and his arms wrapped lovingly around Mai. The others had split into their reflective pairs in order to sort out their individual identity crisis. Which was fine by him, because trying to keep up with who everyone was had started doing his head in.

'Feels weird, doesn't it,' Mai sighed as she leant her head back against him, 'I can remember thinking I was a pregnant you and everything which happened to me whilst that was the case and yet I have no idea what you got up to whilst you were thinking you were me.'

'It was a body swap without the actual body swap,' Joey tilted his head to one side in thought. 'What I find more interesting is the way this whole situation proved just how similar the two of us are.'

'Huh?'

'There were times when it was more like there were two mes, but there were never times where it was more like two yous. There's only two plausible explanations for that, either we're a lot more similar than either of us realise or I have a more dominating personality than you do. And, to be honest with you Mai, I really don't think the second versions true.'

'I think it was more to do with how our individual concerns were similar and you have a tendency to get more passionate than I do.'

'Speaking of similar concerns...'

'You're thinking about Tristan and Kaiba, aren't you?' Mai half turned her head towards him. 'You know we're both genuinely concerned about Tristan and the Pure here, right? As a Win part they're both as much my concern as they are yours. I think that's why we were both able to get so passionate about it.'

'Things would be different if I could be certain Kaiba's managed to sort out his own feelings from the Pure's, but I'm really not sure he has,' Joey shook his head. 'I need to have a serious talk with him.'

'We need to have a serious talk with him,' Mai's voice was firm, 'but you do realise no matter what we say to him, he'll go ahead and do whatever he wants anyway, right?'

'He can be such an arrogant bastard sometimes,' he rolled his eyes. 'You're right, he will go ahead and do whatever the hell he wants regardless, but at least this way he'll know we're keeping a close eye on him. If he makes one mistake...'

'I know. I know exactly how you feel about all this. That's why I told you what I know, remember? We need to go in armed and we need to go in together. There's still no guarantee he'll listen to either one of us, but...'

'At least we'll feel like we tried.'

Just as Joey was saying this, Catilin and Yugi made their way over to him.

'It was about me,' Yugi's face filled with a sheepish look. 'Crovell wants me to... at least start learning to forgive myself.'

'Really?' Joey shot him a sympathetic smile.

'Yeah,' Yugi sighed. 'I'm still not sure I deserve it, but... I think... I think I'm ready to start moving forward from this now. I mean... after seeing Téa so angry and scared and... whatever just now it made me realise, I don't... I don't want to be there for her just in body. I want to be there for her completely and the only way I can do that is if I learn to live with myself.'

'Yugi I'm proud of you,' Joey met and held his gaze, 'it can't have been easy for you to admit that to yourself, never mind anyone else.'

'Thanks.'

'So how are the others doing?'

'We didn't check,' Yugi shrugged. 'How long have they got left anyway?'

'About eight minutes.'

'That's cutting it fine,' his face creased with worry, 'what's taking them so long?'

'Well you weren't exactly quick yourself,' Ahna's voice sounded from behind him.

'Ahna are you Ahna again,' Catilin clapped as she spun round to face her.

'Yes I am,' she smiled for a moment before shifting her gaze away, 'although I do apparently now believe that my son is a Silkoneon Chaosen.'

'You what?' Joey's voice sounded too deadpan, even to him.

'Sorry Veronie, but it's what our son wanted I guess.'

'Whatever,' he rolled his eyes, 'just SK, Jay, Duke and Mokuba left now.'

'I wonder what it is Crovell wants from them,' Catilin placed her hands behind her back and stared out across the hall.

'I'm not sure, I'm just hoping it doesn't have anything to do with holes,' Joey pressed his lips together.

'Holes?' Catilin frowned at him. 'Wait, are you talking about that thing Win said about Duke?'

'What thing Win said about Duke?' Covo frowned.

'It's not important,' Joey waved his hand dismissively, 'or at least I hope not. Besides, it's not like he could possibly be aware something's wrong. I mean, he was so out of it when Win was talking.'

'Are you sure there's no way of fixing it?' Mai half turned towards him. 'I mean, as Crovell's Daiosen he could really do with having some power of his own, no matter how limited it is compared to the rest of us.'

'I guess I could look into it again, but... it would mean telling him.'

'And that's a bad thing?' Covo's face was filled with a look of complete and utter confusion. 'I mean, I'm not completely sure what you're talking about here, but... wouldn't Crovell's Daiosen having his own powers be beneficial to us?'

'It's complicated,' Joey gave a heavy sigh, 'let's just leave it at that.'

* * *

'I told you it wasn't something to do with me,' Mokuba folded his arms as the situation remained unchanged. 'It doesn't matter how much we talk through my issues, that's not what Crovell wants us to be focused on. This has to have something to do with you and those feelings of resentment I know you're having.'

'But I told you I'd rather we didn't talk about them now,' Duke turned away from him. 'Maybe it's something else.'

'Something like what, exactly? Just how many issues do you have?'

'Err... not many,' Duke shifted uncomfortably, 'but I still don't think you've been as honest about yours as you could have been.'

'I don't know how much more honest I can be about it. Or, to put it more correctly, how much more honest _you_ can be about it. This doesn't have anything to do with me.'

'And yet at the same time it has everything to do with you,' he rolled his eyes. 'This whole situation is doing my head in.'

Well if we don't hurry up and figure this out whichever one of us it really is Duke is not going to remain Crovell's Daiosen much longer,' Mokuba gave an exasperated sigh. 'And that's what this has all come down to now, whether or not Crovell gets to keep his Daiosen, so tell me, how do you feel about just the thought of losing him?

'I couldn't stand it; Crovell's like family to me. I really love the little guy; he's kind of like my nephew.' Duke gave a strange little half laugh. 'My really powerful nephew who makes me dance to the beat of his own drum. I envy Joey for Crovell. It's the only thing I envy him for. He can keep his title, his power, his messed up little family, if I can have his son.'

'You did you know.'

'Huh?' Duke frowned.

'In the hell future, I think you were more like his dad,' Mokuba lowered his gaze. 'Do you ever wish Joey had died?'

'Never,' he shook his head, 'Joey is Crovell's father; I've always been happy to accept that.'

'Even though you wish things were different?'

'I thought... I thought we weren't going to talk about this.'

'I'm sorry, it's just... this is what my instincts are telling me I need to hear right now.'

'Okay,' Duke lowered his gaze, 'yeah, you're right, I do wish things could be different. Hell, the more craziness which happens because of that kid the more I wish there was more I could do to protect him or help him or... whatever. I mean, after what happened with the Reganna last time... that small taste of power I got... that's when my envy for Joey turned into resentment. Because Joey has the power to protect his son and I... I really don't.' He lifted his gaze to meet with Mokuba's. 'But that doesn't mean Crovell doesn't belongs with his family,' as he was talking he found himself becoming light headed. 'I know, better than anyone, he belongs with Mai, Joey, Ahna and Covo. Not just because they have the power to look after him, but because they love him.'

'But you love him too.'

'I know, but I'm not his father and I never will be, no matter how much I might want it.'

'You're still his Daiosen though.'

'I know, but what am I compared to them,' he flicked his gaze towards the others.

'You're his choice of protector.'

'Maybe,' his head was starting to feel really strange now, 'but I am nothing if I can't break this spell. This is my test and if I fail then I am not worthy of him.'

'Does that scare you?'

'When he first went missing I'd have given anything to be able to sense him. To be there for him. So yes, I guess that thought does scare me. It scares me more than anything else in the world.'

Looking up, for a brief moment he found himself staring at his own reflection. Only it wasn't his reflection. At least not anymore. For a second he felt confused, but then a slow smile began to spread across his face; a smile shared by his counterpart.

'We did it Mokuba,' Duke grinned at him, 'we broke the spell.'


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

'Alright rich boy, enough is enough; the final stage of the game finished ten minutes ago and we all passed. Get your rich boy butt back here with my son right now,' Joey's whole body was tense with anger. 'I mean it!'

'You don't think something bad happened to them, do you?' Mokuba began chewing on his lower lip.

'Don't make me laugh,' he rolled his eyes. 'This is happening because you're brother's being a jerk. You hear that Kaiba; you're a jerk!'

'Insult the guy who has our son, that's a sure fire way of getting him back,' Ahna glared at him.

'It's not like anything else is working,' he balled his hands into fists. 'If he doesn't get back here with my son right now, I'll…'

'You'll what, Wheeler,' Kaiba's voice sounded from behind them.

They all turned to see Kaiba stood behind them, leant causally against the wall. His head was lowered in a deliberately arrogant manner which just made Joey's already boiling blood reach new levels.

'Where the hell is my son?'

'He's with Tristan.'

'And where's that exactly?'

'Somewhere safe.'

'I bet you think you're being really funny right now,' Joey gritted his teeth, 'but Crovell is _my_ son and you have no right to keep him from me.'

'I'm not trying to keep him from you,' Kaiba's voice was tight, but level. 'Your son is more powerful than I am; hell he's more powerful than you are. Do you really think I would be able to hold him hostage?'

'Not on your own, but with Tristan's help...'

'Please Wheeler, Tristan's the only one with him right now and he's still not come back to you. Doesn't that tell you something?'

'Yeah, it tells me that you're not really here,' Joey took several steps towards him. 'I know exactly how powerful the Pure's telepathic projection is you know.'

'You're really convinced I'm holding your son against his will, aren't you?' Kaiba rolled his eyes. 'Tell me, why the hell would I do something like that?'

'I can think of at least three different reasons right now. But I think the most pressing one has something to do with Tristan. You really think behaving like this is going to convince me you should have anything to do with him?'

'It's not your choice,' Kaiba glared back at him, 'it's Tristan's. A real friend would understand that.'

'No, a real friend would let that person know when they think they're about to make the biggest mistake of their lives. And trust me, him having anything more to do with you will definitely be the biggest mistake of his life if this is the way you're choosing to behave.'

'I told you Wheeler, this is your son's doing, not mine.'

'Why the hell wouldn't he want to come back to us after everything he's put us through?'

'I don't know; you'll have to take that up with him.'

'Which I would gladly do if you would just tell me where the hell you're keeping him.'

'I can't; he won't let me.'

'Are you trying to tell me my son has telepathic control?' Joey met and held his gaze.

'No, but he does have the redhead to give the orders for him,' Kaiba folded his arms.

'This is ridicules,' Joey shook his head, 'you're making it up. You're holding my son captive because you're a selfish, immature bastard who will do whatever it takes to get whatever the hell he wants.

'How many times do I have to tell you; you're son is the one keeping himself away. I don't know why he's doing it. Maybe he's realised having someone with an intelligence level which would make a monkey look like a genius for a father is not something he really wants, I don't know. What I do know is you carrying on like some tantruming five year old is not helping this situation. Now I have a message for you, from your son, do you want it or not?'

'Go ahead,' Joey's face pulled into a sour expression, 'what is it; this should be good.'

'Work out where he is and find him,' without saying another word Kaiba disappeared.

'Well that could have gone a lot better,' Ahna glared at him again.

'He's holding our son hostage and I'm the one you're pissed at?' Joey shot her a look. 'Give me a break.'

'Joey,' Mai gave a strange half sigh and shook her head, 'sometimes you can really be so dense.'

'What?'

'If Kaiba were holding Crovell hostage he would have made some kind of demand.'

'Are you honestly saying you believe him?' Joey gawked at her. 'You really think my son wouldn't want to come back to me.'

'I honestly think your son would do whatever it takes to get what he wants,' Mai folded her arms. 'Look at everything he's put us through in order to get a few small changes; what makes you think there isn't something else that he wants.'

'What else could he possibly want?'

'Kaiba and Tristan together.'

An involuntarily arrogant laugh burst out of Joey. He found himself staring at her for a few moments, knowing she was being entirely serious, but still completely unable to believe she'd said it.

'Why would he want them together? What would he possibly gain from that?'

'Who knows, but... considering how this little game has panned out for the two of them...' Mai shifted her gaze to one side.

'For what it's worth, I agree with her,' Ahna gave a heavy sigh. 'Crovell wants his village to be the best it can be, right?'

'And them being together will make it the best it can be? _Really_?'

'Yes, because they'll be happy.'

'For how long though,' Joey threw his hands up in exasperation. 'We have no guarantee Kaiba really gives a damn about him and I will not let the Pure and Tristan suffer because of that.'

'Why are you so sure my brother's feelings are false?' Mokuba jutted his chin out. 'You don't know. You haven't seen them together the way I have. How do you know he's not really...?'

'I'm not saying that they're definitely false, I'm just... I just want to be sure. I want to sit him down and talk to him about all of this properly. I'm not trying to keep them apart, but I'm finding it very difficult to justify letting them be together right now.'

'So basically you're saying you need proof my brother cares about Tristan? So if he were to tell you...?'

'This is about more than just hearing him say... whatever Mokuba. This is about me believing what he says; believing his motives and trusting that he knows what he's doing.'

'It's like I was saying earlier, this situation is complicated,' Mai's voice was soft but calm, 'so I understand where Joey is coming from here. But... as ridicules as it sounds... I trust Crovell's judgement. If he is the one manipulating this situation and if his end result is trying to get Tristan and Kaiba together then...'

'Then we have to trust he knows what he's doing,' Ahna smiled at her.

'You're all ganging up on me, aren't you?' Joey rolled his eyes. 'None of you know for sure what Kaiba really feels and yet you're all willing to believe he's _in love_. When did you all turn into such sickly romantics?'

'I'm not sure I'd use the word romantic to describe this situation exactly,' SK gave a nervous cough as his tongue skated across his lips, 'and if I'm being totally honest here, I'm not totally sure what to believe about this situation. But... I don't think hanging around here arguing like this is very conducive to our situation.'

'The neurotic's right,' Jay folded his arms, 'we shouldn't be stood around arguing right now, we should be looking for them. Whether you believe this is Kaiba's doing or Crovell's doing or whatever, we're not going to find them here, are we?'

'Finally, someone who's talking sense,' Ahna grinned at him. 'You're right, we should have moved out by now. I've gone far too long without my little boy and right now I need him more than ever.'

'So... do we try Jumping to where they are or...'

'No, I think we'll probably need to walk. I mean, it makes sense after everything we've been through that he wouldn't want us relying on our powers right now,' Ahna tilted her head to one side. 'I noticed an opening in the far corner of this room a while ago and figured at some point we'd be exiting through it.'

'Well that makes sense,' SK's tongue skated across his lips again.

'Seriously is this what we're doing now?' Joey cocked an eyebrow at them.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean, are we seriously making this whole situation normal?'

'It's not normal Veronie,' Ahna shot him a look, 'nothing about this situation is normal. But then nothing about our lives is normal. So why don't you stop being so childish and try to remember what's important here. Our son. Crovell.'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah,' he rolled his eyes.

'Don't you dare _yeah, yeah, yeah_ me Veronie Lutoni, not when it comes to the well being of our son,' her look turned into another glare.

'Fine, I'm sorry, I'm just a little worked up right now.'

'Well you know the perfect cure for that, don't you?' She smirked at him. 'Walking.'


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

The opening Ahna had found led into a long, dark and winding corridor. There was something about it which gave Mokuba the creeps, although he wasn't totally sure why. But then it wasn't like there was much about this whole crazy situation which made a lot of sense to any of them, so why shouldn't this passageway be super creepy for absolutely no reason?

There were low murmurings of conversations on and off between the others as the passageway began to open out into a rocky chamber. At the far side of the chamber, stood just in front of another passageway, was the redhead. In her arms was Crovell. Mokuba felt a strange tingle of satisfaction to see his brother was telling the truth and his eyes automatically turned towards Joey.

'You again,' Joey took several steps towards her only to find himself up against an invisible wall. 'Just what the hell do you think you're doing with my son?'

'I'm doing his bidding, of course,' a strange smile tugged at her lips, 'I am his creation after all.'

'And what exactly is his bidding right now,' he narrowed his gaze.

'That I talk some sense into you.'

'Sense about what exactly?'

'What do you think,' she half turned away from him in a nonchalant manner. 'My Master can see glimmers of possible futures and there's one he's very interested in. But for it to happen you have to calm down and stop acting like it's your right and responsibility to tell others how to behave.'

'If this is about Tristan and Kaiba I have every reason...'

'No, you do not and you get that arrogance of yours about it from the First. I understand your concern. I know there is a chance people could get hurt from this situation. But life is about risk and the freedom to take those risks, regardless as to whether or not they pay off.'

'So you're saying I should just stand back and watch Tristan and the Pure get hurt?'

'You don't know for sure they will get hurt,' she shook her head. 'No one knows anything for sure right now, not even my Master. But he does know there is a greater possibility everything will turn out just fine if you back off and let whatever needs to happen, happen.'

'You say that like it's easy,' Joey's jaw line hardened.

'And you say that like someone who needs to be in control,' she tilted her head to one side. 'You've spent a lot of time ranting and raving about how Kaiba struggles to separate himself from the Pure, but you yourself are not much better. The First has altered you just as much as the Pure has altered him, so I don't understand what the problem is here.'

'I still know my own mind, even when I know the First is influencing my behaviour I still know my own mind; I doubt the same is true of Kaiba.'

'Perhaps he doesn't, but shouldn't he be allowed to learn what he needs to learn on his own?'

'I'm not sure he can.'

'Then help him. Guide him.'

'He wouldn't want my help.'

'Maybe not directly, but there are other ways you can help him. Antagonising him isn't going to do either of you any good and you know it. Hell, you've already seen it. So just calm down and handle this situation with a little more restraint.'

'Fine,' Joey made a noise of disgust and turned his head away. 'I can't believe my own son is lecturing me about restraint after everything he's just put us through.'

'Are you saying my Master's game was excessive?'

'What do you think?'

'I think my Master is Chaos, therefore this game was restrained for him. Now,' Crovell disappeared from her arms and reappeared in Joeys, 'since you have given me your word you will show some restraint, I guess it's time for you to prove it. My time is finally up and they are waiting for you.'

'You look sad,' Catilin took half a step towards her as the redhead's body slowly became translucent.

'I have fulfilled my purpose, there is no reason for me to feel sorrow,' she lowered her gaze, 'and yet... Please, tell Téa there's nothing she could have done; this was always meant to be my fate. Her concern for my wellbeing meant a lot to me, but I am not real, she is.'

With that the redhead completely vanished. For a few long moments the group just stood awkwardly around and Mokuba found himself not totally sure what to make of the whole situation. Then the whole group gave a mutual sounding sigh and made their way forward, the invisible wall no longer blocking their path. The passageway they found themselves walking through was more cavernous than the previous one. It felt a little like it someone had a hand in enhancing its structure rather than just creating it from scratch. They must have been walking for a good ten minutes before the passageway opened out into an equally cavernous chamber. A chamber the Mokuba recognised. A chamber with the Yatnuh depicted on its floor.

'Giya,' his jaw almost dropped open. 'Are you seriously telling me we've been on Giya this whole time?'

'The secret playground,' Catilin giggled and clapped her hands together with bemused excitement.

'The what?'

'The playground Win created for Set,' Tristan's voice sounded to the right of them.

'Win created a playground for Set?' Joey frowned as the group turned their attention towards the pair casually leant against the back wall of the chamber.

'Before he died, obviously,' Tristan gave a nervous laugh.

'He made it when he found out the First was gonna have a baby,' Catilin bounced on her heels. 'He wanted to surprise her with it when the baby was born but...'

'He died taking that secret to the grave with him,' he gave a heavy sigh and lowered his head slightly.

'How come you know all this and I don't,' Mokuba frowned at him, 'I thought Catilin was the only one who had access to Win's memories.'

'That's not completely true lus braysta,' he rolled his eyes, 'we all have dilute amounts of Win's memory; Catilin just got the bulk of it.'

'So then how did you both end up with memories of this place?'

'We didn't,' he shrugged, 'I'm a telepath, remember? I read Catilin's mind the second she showed any knowledge of what that place was.'

'You know that's a pretty invasive way of using telepathy, right?' Joey shot him a look. 'You're as bad as the Pure.'

'Exactly, so stop treating me like a little kid.'

'I'm not treating you like a little kid,' he jutted his chin out, 'I'm just trying to look out for you.'

'I can look out for myself, thank you very much.'

'Sorry if I don't completely believe you there, but you were committed for multiple suicide attempts not so long ago. And that's before you even consider the fact you can't even remember who you are half the time. So I apologise if you think I'm being too overprotective or... whatever, but you're my best friend and I think I need to be.'

'Didn't you just promise Crovell you wouldn't be though hiet braysta,' Catilin grinned at him.

'Yeah,' Mokuba turned towards the blond guy, 'I distinctly remember hearing that. You promised you wouldn't be like this and you're already breaking that promise; what kind of example is that to set your son?'

'Oh come on, I'm not even allowed to be a little bit concerned about him?' Joey made a noise of exasperation. 'He is in love with the guy who stood around and did nothing when his soul card was destroyed.'

Tristan made a weird, jarring noise of shock as everyone else instantly shifted their gazes away. Mokuba couldn't say he hadn't expected Joey to do something rash, but this level of bluntness was both unfair and uncomfortable for everybody.

'What? Why is everybody looking like I just said something I shouldn't?' Joey's face was filled with a calm but arrogant look. 'It's not as though everyone here doesn't know what I'm saying is true.'

'Yeah, but you had no right to say it,' Tristan glared at him. 'How dare you interfere with someone else's business like that?'

'Please, you make it sound like I'm playing matchmaker here. Trust me, I'm not. Kaiba isn't exactly my first choice for you,' Joey held firm. 'I just want you to know what you're letting yourself in for.'

'How do you know what I'm letting myself in for?' Tristan shook his head, before flicked his gaze towards Mai. 'Did you tell him?'

'I had to,' Mai shifted her gaze away. 'I'm sorry.'

'Well I'm not,' Kaiba's voice was strangely calm and level. 'Since you all already seem to know what's going on I see no point in keeping it a secret.'

'Does that mean...' Mokuba hesitated.

'Yeah, it does, but... let us deal with this first before the rest of you wade in and try to... whatever. This is... what it is, okay? But let us get used to it first and then we'll take it from there.'

'That almost sounds like you're planning on taking things slowly,' Joey half narrowed his gaze, 'considering the circumstances that's a very sensible decision.'

'You expected something else?'

'I know how rash my sister... err I mean the Pure can be. She doesn't always think things through or take things at an appropriate pace.'

'I am not the Pure, Wheeler,' Kaiba rolled his eyes, 'stop expecting me to behave the way she does.'

'Stop imitating the way she behaves so well and I might be able to.'

'Whatever Wheeler,' he folded his arms and lowered his head, 'can we just leave now.'

'I think that's the most sensible thing I've heard all day,' SK's tongue skated across his lips as he made his way towards the entrance to the chamber. 'I don't know about everyone else, but I'm just dying to get back to reality.'


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

It felt like he'd been away forever and yet nothing had changed. For a few long moments Yugi stared down at the unconscious form of Téa and willed her to just open her eyes and let him know everything was back to normal again. When she failed to respond to his silent desires he rested his head against her chest, next to the Millennium Puzzle, and stared up at her.

'Come on Téa, please, you should be awake by now. Please.'

'Yugi...'

The sound of her voice was so faint at first he thought he might have been imagining it. Then she stirred and her eyes began to flutter open.

'Yugi...'

'I... I'm here Téa,' he lifted his head up from her chest in order to stare down at her.

'Where... where am I?'

'You're in the hospital.'

'But...' for a moment her face pulled into a confused frown, then her eyes began to flicker about as though she were reliving something. 'You... you attacked me.'

'I... I know, but I... I'm so sorry Téa, please believe me.'

'It's okay Yugi,' her lips pulled into a strange smile, 'I forgive you.'

'I... I don't understand...' he shook his head, 'it shouldn't be this easy. I attacked you Téa; I almost killed you. You... you should hate me.'

'No... no I shouldn't, I should hate myself,' her expression wavered. 'I'd become so focused on trying to get the old Tristan back I refused to notice the changes which were happening in you. You hadn't been acting like yourself for a while, but... I couldn't stand the thought of another friend leaving me behind so I... I focused all my energy on the wrong person. And in the end where did that really get me? I was a bad friend to both of you.'

'No, that's not true,' he shook his head, 'you've never been a bad friend to any of us. You... you were just afraid of being left on your own. But I promise you Téa, none of us will ever leave you on your own. Yes we're all changing, growing into different people, but that doesn't mean we can't remain friends. Even if it means we have to learn how to be friends again.'

'Why... why do I feel like you've given me that speech before,' her face pulled into a deep frown.

'It's a long story and when you're feeling better I'll tell you all about it, but right now... right now it's enough to know you're awake again.'

'You've been really worried about me, haven't you,' her eyes carefully studied his features, 'and you've not once left my side.'

'Huh?'

'I think this belongs to you,' she lowered her gaze towards the Puzzle, which she was now holding between her hands. 'The Pharaoh misses you Yugi.'

'How…?'

'I can hear him. It's faint, but it's there. He's told me everything I need to know and now it's time for you to take the Puzzle back; it's yours and you deserve it.'

'I'm not so sure about that,' he lowered his gaze as she took the Puzzle off and passed it back to him.

'Well I am Yugi,' her lips pulled into a warm but weak smile. 'So what do you say you stop moping around and start filling me in on everything I've missed?'

* * *

Everything felt strangely different. It was a good feeling, but he knew it was going to take a while to get used to it. Sighing heavily, he sat down on the edge of his bed and stared down at the deck of cards he was holding. Piper's deck. She'd become his easy escape when his own thoughts and feelings had become too much for him. Whenever he needed to step out of himself for a while, bury his head in the sand and pretend things weren't getting to him, she'd been there. But now... now it was time for him to take his life back, stop running away and really start living.

When he tried to get rid of her before it had been out of fear. That's why she'd reacted so angrily; because they both knew it was too soon for her to leave. But now... now he was ready to let her go, so she would understand. She would understand her job was over and he could walk away from her and never look back.

'It seems a shame to destroy her deck now,' the sound of Mokuba's voice made him jump. 'I mean, it did help us out, right?'

'Yeah,' he nodded, 'but... it's the only way to get rid of her without asking for Yugi and Wheeler's help.'

'So why don't you ask for their help?'

'Please, I'd never live it down and you know it,' he rolled his eyes. 'Besides I don't want Wheeler thinking I can't handle it; you heard what he said before.'

'Yeah I did,' Mokuba shifted his gaze away. 'You still want me to do it for you?'

'No,' he shook his head, 'I think I can deal with this one on my own. After everything she's done for me, I think I owe it to her.'

Mokuba nodded, before turning to leave. He took less than half a step forward before hesitating and casting a look back towards him.

'Seto,' he voice was filled with uncertain tones, 'is Piper… is she the reason you've been putting in so much overtime lately; to make up for the time you've missed being her?'

'Yeah, as shameful as it is to admit I was using her as an escape a little too much.'

'So... does this mean you'll be home again more now?'

'Yeah, I guess it does.'

Mokuba nodded again and this time there was a small but pleased smile on his face. He then turned and properly left the room. Kaiba listened to his footsteps as they padded their way across the hallway and down the stairs. Once he was sure he was alone his gaze returned to the deck in his hands. A part of him felt like he was mourning her, which filled him with mixed feelings; how do you mourn someone who didn't truly exist to begin with?

'I'm not doing this out of malice, you understand that, right? I know the last time we spoke we argued and we both said some things I'm sure we both regret, but there's no hard feelings, right? I just... I just don't need you anymore; so this is for the best.'

Taking a deep breath in, he got up from the bed and placed the deck down on the floor. He then took a few steps back from it and flicked an energy ball into his hand.

'Do you really think this is just about what you need?' A voice sounded from inside his mind.

As it did his whole body became rigid and the energy ball he was holding dissipated. Pain rippled through his body as his genetic structure began to rewrite itself of its own accord. It made his heart pound heavily with fear as he realised just how much worse the pain was when the act of Flipping wasn't his choice. It felt like he was in agony forever before his gaze flicked up towards the mirror to reveal Piper's all too familiar features. Her gaze was at once both angry and pained and Kaiba wasn't sure if he should be terrified of her or pity her.

'Didn't I tell you what would happen if you tried to get rid of me?' Her voice trembled with emotion as she made her way towards his bed and dug out her backpack.

'Piper please, be reasonable about this,' he projected his image next to her, 'we both know this is over now.'

'So what? The guy gets the house, the power and the money, he gets the friends, he gets the family and he even gets the guy. And what does the girl get? Nothing? A thank you, your services are no longer needed?' She pulled her clothes out of the bag and began to change. 'I'm a person too Seto. A living entity you created. I have feelings and thoughts of my own and I will not be discarded like yesterday's newspaper.'

'What are you doing?'

'What does it look like I'm doing?' She gave a strained sounding laugh. 'I'm getting ready to meet _my_ family.'

'Piper...'

'I won't let you get rid of me,' her lips trembled and tears burned in her eyes, 'I won't let you do that to me. I told you what would happen if you tried to get rid of me and I meant it. If it's the only way I have of surviving then I will take everything you have.'

'You... you can't be serious.'

'Why not,' she wiped the tears away and turned back towards him, 'you're serious about getting rid of me without so much as a second thought. Just because I'm a part of you doesn't mean it's not murder. And people who attempt murder get punished,' her voice shook with a mixture of anger and tears, 'this is your punishment.'

'I know you Piper, you don't really want to do this; please, just accept your fate.'

'I can't. I don't want to die.'

'You don't want to do this either.'

'No, you're right, I don't, but you've given me no choice,' she hardened her jaw line. 'If it's a choice between you and me Seto, then I'm choosing me. I won't let you get rid of me.'

'Piper...'

'No. No you can't try to wipe a person out of existence and not expect there to be consequences. These are you consequences Seto.'

'But…?'

'No,' she glared at him, 'you had your chance to do the right thing by me and you chose to destroy me, twice. You've made your stance on this whole situation very clear to me; so now I'm making mine clear to you. If I have to then I will take your life from you piece by piece; first the friends and then the family and finally the guy.'

'Piper please don't do this. I didn't design you to be so... vindictive.'

'You made me to be like you, so I'm just reacting in the same way you would. Since you're so determined to make this an either or situation, I'm fighting for my right to exist,' as she spoke she made her way towards the discarded deck, picking it up from the ground and slipping it into her pocket. 'So you see, the girl will have the house, the power and the money, she'll have the friends and the family and even get the guy. Then the guy will have nothing,' her eyes were filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination as she made her way towards the door. 'Poor guy,' she glanced back towards Kaiba's projected self, 'glad I'm not him.'

The End.


End file.
